The Path Anew
by 11JJ11
Summary: Experiment. Heir. Victim. Red has spent years trapped away within the labs of a Team Rocket base, as a pawn and a son, his ability just a means to further Team Rocket's goals. But with Mewtwo's escape, Red seeks his own chance at freedom. Kanto is a shattered region, vast and foreign, and haunted by Rocket's shadow. But with an eager Charmander at his side, Red is no longer alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Rated T for blood, violence, and references of child abuse.**

* * *

**Well, here's the rewrite of_ The Path Anew._ :)**

* * *

**Chapter One**

The halls of the facility were dimly lit, the fluorescent lights above giving off a weak glow as a guard made his way down the hall. A Raticate patrolled by the man's side, the brown Pokemon's eyes narrowed as it scanned gray corridor. Whiskers twitched as a light down the hall flickered– but nothing but silence filled the air.

The grunt let out a long sigh, his eyes sliding down towards the watch around his wrist. He still had two more hours until his nightly shift was over– then he could finally retire to bed. It was a dull job, but one that he had no option with taking. Grunts like himself didn't get any choice with what jobs they were assigned, but the pay he got was better than having nothing. And if he did his work well enough, then perhaps one day he might be promoted.

The thought made him perk up a bit, briefly touching the red 'R' on his black shirt. He had been assigned to guard one of the hallways that lead to the laboratories– and everyone knew that what was done in the laboratories were top secret. They wouldn't have just thrown in any grunt to do this job, so clearly he must have done _something_ to earn himself such an honor. A small grin flickered onto the Rocket grunt's face, squaring his shoulders slightly as he resumed his pacing of the hallway.

His Raticate suddenly stopped dead in its tracks, going completely still.

"Raticate?" He asked, glancing back at the Pokemon. It didn't move, not even a twitch of its tail. Frowning, the grunt headed towards his Pokemon, receiving no response as he approached. "Hey, Raticate, snap out of it. We have a job to do."

If they didn't have a Pokemon of their own when they joined Team Rocket, then the grunts were given one from the stores to use. Typically Rattatas and Zubats were received, as those were abundant and easy to capture in the wild. But even with that being the case for this grunt, that didn't mean he hadn't grown attached to his Raticate. She had been with him since his first day in Team Rocket, and had never failed to listen to his orders. She was decently strong as far as her species went, and had the habit to nibble on his ear when he let her.

The grunt paused as he drew closer to his Pokemon, making out her narrowed pupils in the dim light. She didn't seem focused on anything, body tensed and stiffened as she stared straight ahead with unfocused eyes. Frowning, the grunt knelt down next to her, waving a hand in front of her. She didn't blink, didn't tense, just stared off at nothing. The grunt frowned, his hand going for her Pokeball. Perhaps she was just exhausted from the night shift, and needed a few minutes to rest.

A low growl rattled the Raticate's throat– and then she sprang at her trainer.

"Gah!" The man let out a scream as his Raticate slammed into his chest, claws tearing at his shirt. The Raticate desperately slashed, tail lashing, teeth snapping inches from his face. Thin claws ripped through his shirt, leaving cuts across his skin. He shoved the Pokemon from off of him, sitting straight up as he desperately reached for her Pokeball again. The normal type twisted, springing at his wrist– teeth sinking into his skin. His hand pulled back as he cried out, now fighting to get the Pokemon from off of him once more.

There was no focus in her eyes, no reason in her attacks. She was blinding lashing out, gaze not even locked on him as she attacked. The grunt stared into those empty eyes as he managed to shove the Raticate off him again, blood spreading across the slashes. The man's breathing turned heavy, scooting back as his Pokemon slowly crept forward.

"_Rati!"_ The Raticate shrieked, a black aura covering her form. She sped forward with a Pursuit, the energy gathering around her tail. The man raised his arms to block the attack, but the Raticate darted around him, delivering the blow to the back of his head. A gasp of pain escaped him, darkness dancing across his vision.

He collapsed forward, the blow having been far from gentle. He let out a grunt as he hit the ground, and he could feel his consciousness starting to fade. Out of the corner of his eye he could make out the shape of his Raticate shaking, stumbling back as she tossed her head side-to-side. After a moment she blinked, looking around as if confused.

"Cate?" She whimpered, eyes focused once more. She looked over at him, her eyes widening when she saw the state he was in. The Pokemon bolted forward, small paws pressed against his shoulder. He knew that she was calling out, but he could barely hear her as darkness overtook his vision.

The last thing the grunt felt as his slipped into unconsciousness was the steady thumping of footsteps, and everything went black.

* * *

"Cate?!" The Raticate cried, shaking her trainer in confusion. "Raticate?!"

The distress was rolling off of the normal type in waves, the fear coming from her sharp and desperate. It was a feeling he couldn't just push away, the intensity filling the entire hallway as the Pokemon tried to make sense of what had just happened. She looked down at her paws, confusion twisting around her when she noticed the blood on her claws. The realization seemed to wash over her as she stared at them, the fear coming from her spiking up.

Down the hallway a small figure shifted, his heart feeling heavy as he watched the Pokemon. He hesitated for a moment, but he knew he couldn't linger. Time was something he didn't have to spare– and was something he had already wasted enough of. Mustering his courage, he forced himself to press forward, towards the fallen man and his Raticate. The Pokemon's ears twitched, whipping around as he approached.

She stared up at the teen, confusion still humming around her form. The boy tilted his head slightly, carefully scanning the Pokemon. Black eyes met his red gaze, and the Raticate let out a small growl, placing a paw forward. Even with her trainer knocked out, she still had a job to do. The boy flinched as he heard the growl, but he didn't back away.

He could sense the fear and confusion around the Pokemon, as easily as he could make out her small form. His pale red gaze hardened, his eyes deeping to a bright crimson. He didn't move an inch, but yet he was mentally reaching out towards the creature, taking hold the of the emotions around her. The fear was the easiest to grasp, abundant around her, and an emotion he knew quite well.

The growl coming from the Raticate slowly faded, a whimper taking its place as he twisted the emotions around her. The fear she was feeling seemed to intensify, flaring up into a pure terror that surrounded her. What she was fearful towards, the Pokemon did not know. All she felt was a horror, a keen sense of danger that was overtaking every thought. Her trainer on the ground faded from her mind, this intruder in front of her meant nothing– she needed to get away!

Ears pressed back against her head, cries coming from her throat, the Raticate bolted forward– racing past the boy as she scampered down the hall. Claws clicked against the floor as she ran, her silhouette swiftly fading in the dim light as she scurried around the corner, racing out of sight. The teen glanced over his shoulder, slowly withdrawing his influence from the Pokemon. The fear around her would linger for some time, and hopefully by the time it faded he would be gone.

Shivers ran across the boy's skin at the thought. Gone, he was going to be leaving tonight... he was going to be free.

He carefully pressed down the hallway, taking care that each step was as silent as possible. Perhaps from a distance no one would give him a second glance, his gray apparel not that different from the black attire the grunts wore, even complete with an 'R' on the front. But if anyone caught a glimpse of the band strapped around his ankle they would know that he was someone not meant to wander unsupervised.

And if anyone saw his bright red eyes they would know exactly who he was.

A large metal door stood at the end of the hall, a red 'R' plastered across its front, and an electronic lock bolting it into place. A red light flashed above a keypad and scanner, only the most trusted members of Team Rocket being allowed access into this section of the lab. The teen looked at the doors, having been through them many times before, but this was his first time being here alone. He knew what awaited him behind this door– and he knew that this was his last chance if he wanted to turn back.

The creature waiting through here was cruel, ruthless, and the boy was confident it was insane. It made no effort to hide its dark past, nor what it was capable of. He had sense the hatred boiling off of it many times, and had witnessed the pain it was willing to inflict on humans. There had always been a twisted gleam in its eyes, a humor when it saw its captors struggling. It would be more than happy to let those around it die.

But it was also the only being he felt he could call a friend.

Taking in a deep breath, the boy stepped towards the door, reaching into his pocket. His hands wrapped around a white keycard, pulling it out. Like everything else in these buildings, the signature 'R' of Team Rocket ran down one side of the card, a series of text next to it. There was an image of an older man on it, perhaps in his forties. The boy's eyes flickered over the words: _Carl Tambert, Team Rocket Head Scientist_.

He had snagged the card off of Dr. Tambert earlier today, in this very same hallway after he had locked this door behind him. It had been so much easier than Red thought possible, having carefully pulled it from the lab coat pocket when he was confident no one was looking. The lab coats always hung loosely around humans, so Tambert hadn't even felt that someone had been fishing through his pockets. The teen had then stuffed it into his own, and since no one suspected he would dare do such a thing, no one had given him a second glance.

And normally this was something that he would never even dream to do. The punishment for stealing something, especially a keycard... he flinched just thinking about it. His entire back tingled, aware of what had been inflicted on it before for the mildest of offenses, let alone something this major. Instinctively his arms wrapped around himself, fingers brushing against the white scars that ran down his upper arm. The ridges were pale and thin, standing out against the rest of his skin, and many more of the same scars covered his back.

But he knew he couldn't turn back now. He had been lucky enough coming up here– heading back would be nothing but a guarantee to get caught. He had slipped passed several guards to get here, but eventually the one he had knocked out would be discovered. And of course the keycard would eventually be reported as stolen, and it wouldn't be long until the theft was traced back to him. His choices were to pass through the door and take his only chance at freedom, or to turn back and suffer the consequences for what he had already done.

Knowing that turning back wasn't an option, he approached the door. He tapped the keycard against the scanner, the light of the lock flashing yellow, and he reached towards the keypad. He had never been told the passcode, but it had never been hidden from him either, and he had seen it entered many times. His fingers were trembling slightly as he pressed in the numbers, and the light on the lock then flared to green. He stepped back as he heard the locks unclicking, gears shifting as the large metal door slid open, revealing a large laboratory on the other side.

The ceiling stretched far above him, computers and wires covering the walls. Bright lights flickered on as soon as the boy stepped through the door, the dark room becoming lit. He raised a hand to block the sudden brightness, his eyes taking a moment to adjust. Controls and more computers were resting on top of a series of tables and desks, monitors beeping, a loud humming filling the entire room as they ran. The technology and sheer size of the room itself was impressive– but what stood at the center of the lab was what always took in everyone's focus.

A large glowing dome stood in the center of the room, the energy a deep, burning blue. Within this dome was yet another barrier, this one a harsh purple. And while he could see right through the harsh domes of light, the boy knew from experience that the barriers were impenetrable. They were not meant to be a light show, but rather a cage for the creature they housed. His gaze quickly shifted to the being within the domes, who was watching the human that had just entered the lab.

The Pokemon was vaguely humanoid in shape, but yet the creature looking nothing but alien. It was covered in pale lavender fur, hovering in the center of the domes that encased it. Darker purple fur highlighted a thick tail, which was flickering in the air. Sharp teeth were visible within its mouth as it grinned, feline ears atop its head. A second spine sprouted from the back of its head, connecting to its back.

A glow filled the Pokemon's purple eyes eyes, and the outer barrier flickered in response– blocking out the psychic energy radiating from the creature. Unless someone was within the outer barrier, the creature's mental influence was null. The being let out a small growl of annoyance, before waving his arm at the boy impatiently. He knew what it was trying to tell him, and he hurried towards the control panel that sat in front of the domes, an array of buttons and switches in front of him.

The plan was simple– he was to disable the first barrier, allowing the Pokemon's psychic influence to reach him. Then from there it would direct him on how to disable the inner barrier, allowing the psychic Pokemon its freedom. Setting such a being free wouldn't go unnoticed... but that was exactly what he needed. He would set the Pokemon free, and in return it would serve as the distraction he needed to escape from this place himself.

The boy took the keycard, swiftly scanning it to unlock the controls, before searching for the buttons he would need.

He had seen Dr. Tambert disable the outer barrier many times, but still it took him a moment to locate the controls he would need to press. He flipped several switches, before pressing a large blue button. A loud whirring filled the room, screens on the wall flickering as the first barrier faded away.

A rush of psychic energy instantly filled the room, the power of the creature radiating out into the lab. The teen felt a pressure building up in his mind, wincing as a small headache began to build. After a moment it relented somewhat, though the new presence lingered in his mind.

_**For a time I believed that you had decided to back out of our bargain, Red.**_ The creature's thoughts flooded his head, the intensity of the telepathy drowning out every other thought in his mind. There was a sharp clarity to each word, tingles of pain pricking at him as it spoke.

Red had to close his eyes, reminding himself to keep breathing as he took in the creature's words. Impatience pressed down onto him, the Pokemon's presence unrelenting– demanding an explanation. And with the creature having already linked to his mind, Red couldn't hide a thought from it.

That was how powerful it was– even when trapped behind a barrier that physically restrained it, its psychic powers were unlimited. If he so wanted he could tear through every memory in Red's mind, and with enough focus drive him to insanity. The purple barrier was never lowered for more than a few seconds for this very reason, but Red had come to trust this creature. He had been within its mental grasp many times, and it had never hurt him... permanently. They had talked, comforted each other. After all, they were both prisoners here.

And tonight, both of them would escape.

_I was just being careful._ Red thought, the Pokemon hearing his thoughts. He offered no resistance as the Pokemon tugged his memories of his trip here to the surface of his mind, looking over them. _You told me to be careful, Mewtwo._

_**That I did.**_ Mewtwo mused, withdrawing from Red's memories, but not his mind. _**But that is of no concern now– all you need to focus on is disabling this last shield.**_

Mewtwo raised a hand, a mass of ghostly energy forming in his paw. He didn't allow it to grow to large, simply ficking it at the barrier. The dome flickered to a deep blue, diffusing the attack across its surface, neutralizing the move. Mewtwo eyed the dome with distaste, and Red could feel the frustration humming across his form.

There had once been a time where he had witnessed the clone mercilessly hammer the same barrier, throwing every attack he could at it. The dome had flickered and shuddered, been pressed to its very limited– but no matter what attack he had sent at it, the dome had held. This energy was meant to cage Mewtwo, and Team Rocket had taken no risks of him getting free. The only way to disable the barrier was from the outside.

Which Red had promised to do.

_**Are you hesitating?**_ Mewtwo asked, letting out a small growl. _**Your task is simple, human! Open the barrier! Do you not want freedom?! Or would you rather remain here, suffering by the hands of your own kind?!**_

The telepathy had gotten more forceful with each word– pain flaring across Red's head, Mewtwo practically screaming. He let out a small whimper, clutching his head. He tried to remind himself that the psychic was simply impatient, that they were so close to freedom that it didn't want to risk it. It wasn't mad, it was nervous, it wasn't mad...

_You said you would tell me how._ Red replied quietly, a faint headache still pulsing. He had never seen the inner barrier be disabled– so he had no idea of where to begin.

The frustration coming from Mewtwo seemed to relent, though there was still a stiffness in his form. His arms were crossed across his chest, tail flicking, and he was gliding back and forth between the edges of his confinement, teeth bared. Red closed his eyes as he felt Mewtwo's mind touching his– a brief memory washing over him.

The scene Mewtwo was showing him was simple, a tall bald man instructing Dr. Tambert on the very same controls Red stood in front of. Unable to do anything but watch the memory unfold, Red carefully listened as the bald man told Tambert how to turn off the barriers surrounding the Mewtwo. It was very strange to see Tambert look so uncertain and on edge– Red always having known the scientist to be the one in charge of these labs.

The memory was suddenly cut off, leaving Red slightly dizzy as he stared down at the same controls.

_**Release me.**_ Mewtwo ordered.

Swallowing, Red leaned forward to look over the controls once more. The memory he had seen had clearly been from Mewtwo's perspective– having still been locked away behind these same barriers. It was hard to think through his lingering headache, to flip the angles he had seen in his mind about to match what he was looking at now.

He picked up the keycard one more time, swiping it against the scanner again just in case. The last thing he wanted to do was set off any alarms or get locked out of the system. He could feel the tension coming from Mewtwo, the sheer eagerness it was radiating making it hard for Red to focus. But he understood why it was like this, just moments away from freedom.

After tonight they would both be free.

He didn't understand why the controls had to be so complicated. So many other devices were simple– press the button and done. But this had clearly been purposely designed to be headache, probably so no accidental releases took place. He flipped several switches, buttons clicking as he pressed them down. Finally he flicked a large purple switch, a light on the controls flashing.

"_Request to disable barrier.2 [physical] registered,"_ A robotic voice crackled through the speakers overhead– and Red nearly jumped out of his skin, thinking for a moment somebody had entered the lab. "_Please do not proceed unless Project M2 is full sedated, and complete your task with caution."_

Crimson eyes flickered towards the final button, his hand reaching out to press it. A faint click was heard as he pushed down, and for a moment silence filled the room.

He looked up as he watched the blue barrier flicker, its light beginning to dim. The hum of the energy faded as the done of the light flickered away– leaving nothing between Mewtwo and the lab. The clone was faintly smirking as his cage faded, eyes lit with a blue light. A wave of energy washed over the lab, the powerful aura of the creature no longer inhibited. Mewtwo rose higher into the air, psychic energy surrounding his hand.

A blast was released down towards Red– the boy's eyes widened as the attack came flying towards him. He threw himself to the side, crashing into the cement ground. The psychic blast struck the control panel– engulfing it in a flare of light.

_**See if you can contain me again, humans!**_ Mewtwo spat, his telepathy directed at no one in particular. There was a glee around him, a childish excitement that Red had never quite sensed from Mewtwo before. _**I am free once more– and you will not claim me again!**_

He waved his hand– a Psywave being released around him. The blue energy crackled as it collided with the computers and screens, shattering them upon impact. Overhead alarms began wailing, but another psychic blast destroyed it. Still Red could hear more alarms echoing throughout the lab, and probably throughout the entire Rocket base. It wouldn't be long until others would arrive, and Red knew they needed to leave now.

Every device in the room laid shattered on the floor as multiple attacks were fired, every cable ripped from the wall, every desk left as nothing but splinters. Mewtwo seemed to have no intentions of stopping, his psychic energy ripping apart the horrid room he had been locked away in for years. Cracks spread across the wall, ripples of psychic light rushing through the room. Red scrambled away as a section of wall came tumbling down, crumbling against the ground.

Mewtwo turned his eyes down towards the boy that had set him free, and his cruel smile slowly turned into a grin. He raised a hand, a blue light engulfing the human. Red's eyes widened as he found himself locked within the psychic grasp, telekinetically being lifted into the air. He locked gazes with Mewtwo as he was dragged up– and with a flick of the clone's finger he was slammed back against the wall.

A cry of pain escaped the child, and Mewtwo quietly drifted forward, unconcerned with the alarms echoing in the distance. Red looked towards him in confusion, struggling to break free of the force that was holding him up. His mouth parted as if he were about to say something, but no sound escaped his lips. Instinctively Red reached out for the emotions that surrounded the Mewtwo, trying to take hold of them, but the sheer power the creature possessed was too much for him to control. Mewtwo's gaze hardened, and the psychic grasp around Red tightened.

_**I vowed,**_ Mewtwo muttered quietly. _**That once I was free, that I would destroy every human in this cursed lab. And that includes you, Red.**_

The boy's eyes widened, his thoughts racing. Mewtwo let out a small chuckle, able to know exactly what he was thinking without him needing to attempt to telepathically respond to the clone.

_**It is quite simple– I lied to you.**_ Mewtwo replied, drifting closer. _**The humans thought your measly powers were enough to control me– but I bend to no one.**_ He let out a snort. _**But you were so desperate. And seeing how the humans had already broken you, I saw an opportunity. It was easy to commune with you, the humans willingly placing you within my reach multiple times– and you had access to the outside! All I needed was your trust, and then I had my key to freedom.**_

Red knew this creature was cruel, he knew it had killed dozens of humans the first time it had escaped. Despite this he still went still as he listened to the harsh telepathy, Mewtwo making no effort to be gentle as he had in the past. The words painfully washed over his mind, the powerful psychic energy pressing down on him.

_**Do not worry though, Red.**_ Mewtwo said, the force of his telepathy relenting somewhat. _**You have already suffered enough from the hands of your own kind, and have brought no harm to me. Your death will be swift and painless.**_ His lavender gaze hardened. _**Unlike the fate the other humans here will taste. Consider this mercy... a thank you, for freeing me.**_ The blue glow in Mewtwo's eyes flared up. _**Goodbye, Red.**_

Fear raced through Red, and he felt the psychic energy building up in his mind, a faint pain quickly flaring up. He couldn't move, the control of his body quickly fading away. His lungs went still, no longer drawing in air and Mewtwo's influence rushed through him. His limbs went limp, and it would only be moments before the clone's control engulfed him, forcing his body– his heart– to shut down–!

The thoughts in his mind were desperate, scrambled, but yet they still reached Mewtwo. The Pokemon froze up, the psychic energy in Red's mind retreating. For a moment the Pokemon didn't move, eyes narrowing.

He then flung Red to the ground, a snarl ripping from his throat.

_**NEVER!**_ He roared. _**Compare me to your filthy species!**_

Red heard a snap as he collided with the earth, a burst of pain filling his wrist. He let out a gasp, clutching it to his chest. The pain didn't fade as it so often did, throbbing as he cradled it close. But adrenaline was pumping through him, and he knew that he only had a few moments until Mewtwo retaliated. He rolled away, a psychic blast raining down on where he had been laying, scorching the ground. He felt the energy ripple out, hot against his skin. He looked up at the clone, pure anger radiating from it as it hovered in the ruins of the lab. Red swallowed, opening his mouth, but his throat had tightened.

_I helped you!_ Red cried out with his mind instead, hoping that Mewtwo was still reading his thoughts. _If you kill me for helping you then you're no better than humans! Than Team Rocket!_

The pain Red could take, he could silently suffer without complaint, take what was given to him only because of the fear of receiving more. But death... it terrified him. The thought of vanishing from existence, from being ripped from this form he knew... It was a concept he was afraid to even consider. His mother had been taken from him, and the same with his younger brother– and to even think of suffering the same fate...

The anger crackled around Mewtwo, the waves of energy so powerful he was startled that they weren't visible as they twisted about the feline. He knew that his attempt had done nothing but make this creature's rage grow– and he realized there would be no reasoning with it now. Mewtwo had intended to kill him, and his words had done nothing but make that desire grow.

Mewtwo closed his eyes, psychic energy crackling around him. Red remained still, his aching wrist being cradled to his chest. He didn't move, waiting for the Mewtwo to end it.

_**I... I am not...**_ For a moment the anger around Mewtwo seemed to fade– though only for a moment. Glowing blue eyes flashed at Red, and the creature raised his hand. He watched the psychic energy form, the flare of the light harsh against his eyes as the Pokemon released the blast.

The pulse flew over Red's head, colliding with the wall behind him, cement crumbling. Confusion ran through Red, looking up towards Mewtwo as he turned away. The anger was still there, a burning bitterness taking hold.

_**I am not like those Rockets.**_ He said, telepathy soft in his mind, almost like a whisper. But still Red could feel the anger the Pokemon was struggling to keep back. _**So I keep my end of our bargain– leave, human– and then I shall owe you nothing. But next time I see you I will see you as I do any other human– and I will kill you in the most painful way possible.**_

He said nothing else to the one who had freed him, not any kind of farewell, nor even a backwards glance. The Mewtwo simply formed yet another mass of blue energy in his hand, releasing the blast of psychic energy straight up. The ceiling shuddered, cracks webbing out as it shattered– debris from the blast raining down into the ruined laboratory. Mewtwo rose up through the hole, telekinesis repelling the rubble as he rose.

Red was left on the ground, shivering. His back ached from being flung around, his wrist feeling as if it were on fire from the pain, but it didn't seem to limit him as he shakily pushed himself to his feet. Somehow mercy had found him tonight, but he knew she would not linger if he stayed here. He staggered towards the hole Mewtwo had created in the wall, knowing that if he were to survive he would need to leave. He dragged himself through the opening, pausing as he looked out at the dark night ahead of him.

The outside was far from peaceful– sirens and alarms wailing, screams starting to fill the air as Mewtwo attacked the Team Rocket base. For many years Red had known this place as home, but never once had it been a place of safety.

He looked down at the black band around his ankle– and from experience he knew he wouldn't be able to take it off. But keeping it on was just as much as a risk. Mewtwo had once promised to destroy the device, but now...

He shook the thought from his head, grabbing a chunk of metal from the rubble that littered the ground. He shifted it in his good hand, nervously licking his lips as he sat down. He studied the band one more time, aiming for the thickest part of it, and stabbed it with the metal. The plastic shell cracked, and he twisted the metal, wires within it snapping at the force. It would take more work to get it completely off, but hopefully this would be good enough for now.

A loud crash echoed through the night as Red crawled out of the lab, freezing up as he listened to the sounds of shattering glass and beams twisting. Part of the base had caved in, or perhaps had been fully destroyed. Knowing Mewtwo, either was possible.

Red didn't care where he was heading as he ran off into the night– knowing that he just needed to be anywhere but here.

* * *

There was a salty scent in the air as Samuel Oak made his way through the forest, the sound of waves crashing off in the distance. Despite not being far from the beach, the land here was practically untouched. The cliff-lined shores appealed little to tourists, leaving this entire land in its natural state, which was perfect for the Pokemon professor.

At his side a Nidorino snorted, tossing its head as he trotted alongside his trainer. The poison type's gaze was turned up towards the trees, a low growl rattling his throat whenever a Pidgey so much as glanced their way. The birds would watch him with a careful eye, before taking to the sky, knowing that this was a Pokemon they would not want to anger.

"Focus, Nero," Samuel said, and the Nidorino's gaze returned to him. "Remember, we're looking for revival herbs– hopefully ones that have started going to seed."

He pulled out a bundle of the plant, holding it out to the Pokemon. The Nidorino sniffed it a few times, shuddering at the bitter scent of the leaves. He had tasted the horrible herb a few times, and while it did wonders when it came to healing, the taste was absolutely revolting. The professor chuckled at this reaction, placing the leaves back into his pocket.

"That's why we're out here, old friend," Samuel said. "If the other parts of the plant have the same healing properties I just might be able to use it in my revive experiment– since trying to dilute the taste of the leaves just makes it less effective."

It was his latest project, attempting to make some sort of medicine that could have the same effects as a revival herb. It was a critical medicine in Pokemon Centers and others facilities, able to give Pokemon a surge of energy and close minor wounds. It could be used to help pull a Pokemon from unconsciousness, and after a brutal battle it was often needed to help them make a swift recovery. But of course Pokemon often rejected the herbs due to its horrible taste, making it difficult to use despite its effectiveness.

So if he could create something with the same effectiveness, that could be easily produced, and wasn't as hated by the Pokemon... that would definitely be a huge step forward.

Nero sniffed the ground, trying to catch the scent of the herbs the professor had let him smell. They definitely weren't a common plant, but they could be found out in the wilds. Seeds weren't common in marketplaces either, and so if they could find a wild plant then hopefully Samuel could start cultivating his own crops to use for his experiments– hence why he, his Nidorino, and granddaughter were out here in the early morning.

Nero turned off the path, making his way into the underbrush as he tried to seek out the plant. Nidorinos weren't known for their tracking abilities, but Samuel knew that the Pokemon's nose would be much better than his. He trailed after the poison type, frowning as they went farther from the path.

"Do you smell something, or are you just looking for the scent?" He asked after a few minutes. "Because I'd prefer to stay on the trail."

Nero snorted, but continued pressing forward. His ears flickered forward as he looped around a tree, eyes narrowing on a plant up ahead. He threw his trainer a proud glance over his shoulder, sitting down. The professor's gaze settled on the revival herb, which his Pokemon made no effort to go near.

"Nido," He said, tossing his head.

"Heh," Samuel said, smiling as he approached the plant, kneeling down. "Good work, Nero, you did well."

He didn't want to take it all, best to let it stay and spread in its natural environment. Still he plucked several of the long leaves from it, adding it to the bundle in his pocket. And while the roots made an effective medicine as well, he turned his focus to the long stems that had once held flowers, where pods of seeds now grew. He selected a few of them, wrapping them in a cloth before setting them in his bag.

"I think that ought to be enough to start off with," He said with a nod. "Now to–"

His words were cut off by a loud scream.

Samuel and Nero tensed– Pidgeys taking to the sky as the cry filled the air. The professor stumbled to his feet, skin noticeably paler as he glanced about. But he didn't seem to know which direction the scream had come from. The Nidorino jumped up, the barbs on his back tensed, ears straight up as he charged off into the woods.

"Daisy!" Samuel cried, taking off after his Pokemon as fast as he could, though Nero was much faster than him.

His grandaughter didn't reply, which only made him increase his pace. Nero was just a purple blur ahead of him, the Pokemon charging towards the unknown threat. Soon a brown haired girl was in view, tears running down her face as she stumbled forward. There was a Ponyta by her side, sparks coming from his mane. Samuel rushed towards her, heart thumping in his chest.

"Rino!" Nero snarled, poison forming at the tip of his horn as he looked around– but saw no threat.

"Daisy, are you okay?" Samuel asked, pulling the crying girl against his chest. He too looked around nervously, but saw nothing.

"G-gramps," She gasped, shaking. "There's a– th-there's a–!"

"Sshhh," He soothed, holding her close. "Um... just breathe, deep breaths..."

His eyes turned towards the Ponyta, who looked just as shaken as Daisy did. You could see the whites of his eyes, the Pokemon tossing its head unhappily, pawing at the ground with a hoof. Nero had taken to pacing around the group, frustration lining his every feature as he searched for the threat, looking for something to attack.

"G-gramps," Daisy whispered, pulling back, bright green eyes lined with tears. "There's a... there's a b-body."

"...A Pokemon's?" He asked quietly, silently hoping she was just shaken up from stumbling upon a Pokemon's hunt– but he knew that wouldn't be the case. Daisy shook her head, breaking down once more. "...Where is it?" He asked quietly, and she tensed. "You don't have to go back, just tell me where it is..."

She shakily pointed to the south, skin looking pale. He brushed her brown hair back, trying to calm her, but he wasn't sure what he should say– comforting had never been his forte. So instead he carefully guided her hand to the Ponyta, placing her palm against the creature's head, and began to make his way to where she had pointed. His stomach was twisting, not wanting to see what laid ahead, but he knew that if there was human remains it had to be reported, and he most certainly wasn't going to place that burden upon Daisy. He had no idea what state the body could be in, and there was a fear for what he was about to see.

Nero was at his side, the Nidorino poking its head through the grass. He grunted as he reached the edge of a small ditch, looking back at the professor uncertainly. Samuel swallowed, took in a deep breath, and strolled forward.

The body of a teenager met his gaze, pale skin and dark black hair, laying face down in the dirt. He felt his throat going dry, realizing that this child was probably no older than Forrest. The boy's clothes were dirty, torn in numerous places. Several Rattata were scurrying around him, which only make his stomach twist even more.

"Nero..." The professor whispered, and the Nidorino hopped down into the ditch– scattering the Rattatas with just his presence. Nero huffed as they ran, and then approached the body himself, sniffing the air. Samuel opened his mouth to stop him, but yet no words managed to escape his throat, and he could only watch his Pokemon nudged the teen's limp form.

"Nido!" Nero cried, his eyes suddenly widening slightly. He whipped around to face Professor Oak, his tone urgent. "Rino! Nidorino!"

Samuel stared at him uncertainly, not sure of what the Pokemon wanted him to do. The poison type's ears went back in frustration, turning towards the teen again. The Nidorino swiftly nudged the boy once more– who let out a small rasp as the horn pressed against his side.

He jumped back, startled– though the sick feeling in his chest instantly faded. Alive– the boy was alive! Relief rushed through him, though that too faded as he again looked over the teen. He may not be dead, but he clearly wasn't too far from that either. He swiftly made his way down the side of the ditch, hurrying over to the boy.

"Daisy!" He called, his fingers pressing against the boy's neck as he knelt at his side. He frowned as his fingers ran over faded scars, but his focus shifted as soon as he felt a pulse– one that was very faint. "Daisy, he's still alive, I need you to come here!"

"He is?" A small voice called out, relief in her tone, though she still sounded shaken up.

"Yes, but he's hurt!" Samuel called, his hands going to the boy's side. He let out a small grunt as he flipped him over onto his back, since there was no way he could breathe properly with his head in the dirt.

He heard the sound of hoofsteps, and looked up to watch Daisy and the Ponyta cautiously approaching the edge of the ditch. She looked down at her grandfather uncertainly, eyes flickering between him and the unconscious boy. One hand tightly grasped the reigns of her Pokemon, her skin still looking very pale.

"What do we do?" She asked in a quiet voice.

He didn't answer her right away, still looking over the boy's form. He saw no visible injuries outside of several cuts and bruises, nothing to suggest how he could have gotten into this state. He grabbed the boy's arm, carefully pinching the skin on the back of his hand. Green eyes narrowed as the skin held its shape for a moment, slowly falling back into place– a sign of dehydration.

"...I'll have Barney carry him," The professor said, eyes still scanning him. "And I'll fly back on Aquila. You'll be okay heading back to Pallet on your own, alright? I can leave Nero with you."

His gaze settled on the boy's wrist, which upon closer inspection was swollen, and far more bruised than the rest of his form. He didn't touch it, not knowing if it was sprained or broken, and gently set it on the boy's chest. His hand went to grab a Pokeball, knowing that there was no way he could carry him on his own– but paused when he noticed a small symbol on the teen's shirt: an unmistakable, bright red 'R'.

The symbol of Team Rocket.

For a moment Samuel didn't move, his heart thumping in his chest, a bitterness rising in him as he looked at that horrid letter. His hand tightened on the Pokeball, gaze narrowing as he once again regarded the boy. His apparel was basic– just an underling of some kind then? But where there was a Team Rocket grunt there was always more, so where was the rest of this boy's group? Had they left him out here? That wouldn't be surprising for a Rocket.

"...Gramps?"

Daisy's quiet voice snapped him out of his anger, and he quickly pulled the Pokeball from his pocket. He pressed the button on the front, a bright beam of red light snaking out from the sphere. A towering figure appeared in front of them– orange scales gleaming in the morning light as the powerful Pokemon was released. Bright blue eyes looked down at Professor Oak, a head curiously being tilted to the side.

Samuel took in a deep breath– a Rocket or not, he couldn't leave the boy out here. He was no older than his own grandson, still just a child. No one deserved to suffer like this, not even a Rocket.

"Barney," Professor Oak instructed. "I need you to carry this boy back to my lab for me, okay? He's injured though, so please be careful, you don't want to make anything worse."

"Bah!" The Dragonite trumpeted, a gentle gaze turning towards the injured teen. The dragon carefully scooped him up into his muscular arms, cradling the human against his chest. The Pokemon glanced at his trainer as if to make sure he was doing everything right, and then opened his wings.

"Shouldn't we take him to a hospital?" Daisy whispered uncertainty as Barney took to the sky, the boy safely tucked away in his arms.

Samuel pushed himself to his feet, slipping the Dragonite's Pokeball away, before grabbing another one. "The nearest one would be in Cerulean, and the closest clinic is in Pewter, and I don't think it would be safe to fly him all the way there– he needs treatment now. If we had a Pokemon that could teleport perhaps that would be another matter... but I should have the supplies at my lab to at least stabilize him," He pulled out his second Pokeball, holding it up. "We will take him to a doctor from there as needed."

He released his second Pokemon– a beautiful Pidgeot bursting out of the sphere. The eagle tossed her head as she was released, the Pokemon almost blinding them as the sun hit her feathers. Golden light streamed from off of her, the shiny Pokemon practically glowing as her feathers reflected the sun's rays in every direction.

"Aquila, can you please take me back to the lab?" Samuel asked quietly, placing a hand on her back.

"Rrhh," She cooed, lowering herself so he could mount onto her back. Normally he wouldn't ride her without a proper harness, but he didn't have time to waste by walking back to Pallet Town, and he was far too large for the Ponyta to carry him effectively. He pulled himself onto the Pidgeot's back, wrapping his hands into her long flowing crest. It wasn't the first time he had ridden her bareback, and he hoped he wasn't out of practice.

"Nero, guide Daisy home," Samuel ordered his Nidorino, who quickly nodded. "If any wilds attack, then protect her– but don't go starting any fights."

"Nido," He said, and Aquila spread open her wings.

"Be careful," Samuel said, his gaze shifting to Daisy. "Stick to the paths."

"Sure thing, Gramps," She replied, shifting slightly.

He gave the Pidgeot a gentle nudge in the side– and the eagle took to the skies.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Bah?"

The Dragonite was staring at his trainer in confusion as he searched the lab, opening drawers, pushing aside papers and dishes in his search. The place wasn't dirty, merely unorganized, though usually the professor had no struggle in locating the items he needed. After a moment he found what he was looking for, holding up a pair of scissors– and his Dragonite looked even more confused.

"We don't need to draw any unneeded attention to the boy," Samuel explained, turning his attention towards the couch at the back of his lab.

Sitting upon the cushions was the unconscious teen they had found in the woods. He looked much better than when they had first found him– his cuts having been treated and the dirt having been cleaned from off of him. His injured wrist had been bound in a temporary brace, as to not make the injury worse if he were to suddenly awake. But still his skin was very pale and covered in bruises, and of course he was still unconscious. But right now the main concern for the professor was the 'R' on his shirt.

"Roo..." Barney rumbled uncertainly, the dragon standing over the teen as the professor approached.

"He's young," The professor explained, pulling the material of the shirt away from the boy's skin, and began to use the scissors to cut away the 'R'. "And the last thing he'll need is everyone against him once he wakes up. Daisy will be back soon, and Forrest could come barging in at anytime. They don't need to know that he's associated... with that group."

A look of bitterness crossed the man's face as he looked down at the 'R' now clutched in his hands, and he let out a long sigh. He slipped the symbol of Team Rocket into his pocket, setting the scissors aside. The boy's clothes were already ripped and torn, so he'd need new ones anyways, so no one should think too much about the missing piece. Besides, their focus needed to be on helping him, nothing else.

"I'll send Aquila to Viridian City to pick up some supplies," He muttered to no one in particular– Barney's focus solely on the boy. "If he wakes up and we're able to get some water in him I should be able to treat him here..."

Doctors were far and few on the outskirts of Kanto– only the larger cities having clinics. Pokemon Centers were equipped to treat minor wounds for trainers and locals, but tiny Pallet Town lacked even that. The town had come to rely on him for both their Pokemon and their own injuries, and as such he had picked up a few tricks over the years. Perhaps a more thriving region would look down on an unofficial doctor practicing medicine, but he had done it for so many years that he didn't even blink at the idea.

"Bah," Barney said, the Dragonite nudging the boy's legs. He carefully tapped his ankle with the back of his claws, looking towards the professor– who had once again began to search his lab.

"If it's serious we'll rush him straight to Pewter's clinic," He replied, thinking that was the dragon type's concern. "But I believe he simply pushed himself to exhaustion, probably got lost..."

Did his presence mean that there were more Rockets in the area around Pallet Town? That wasn't a comforting thought, such a small town would be an easy target, especially with no local law enforcement. Not that his team couldn't handle a few grunts and their Pokemon, but he'd rather that nothing happened in the first place. Perhaps he should send Nero and Alex out to patrol, just in case. Of course neither of them had wings, but Barney and Aquila would just be targets for such a group considering their rarity.

"Bah!"

"...Does the boy have any Pokeballs on him?" The professor suddenly asked, turning around. He remembered the Rattatas that had been near the boy– they hadn't chased off his Pokemon, had they? Or if he did have a Pokemon on him it just might need treatment like him. He strolled over to the couch once more, hesitating at the idea of just going through a stranger's pockets, but it wouldn't be fair to leave a Pokemon injured if he did have one with him. Or if he had a weapon he didn't want to leave it with the Rocket.

The teen didn't have a Pokebelt on him, nor a Pokeball on any kind with him in his pockets. The only item Oak found on him in his search was a keycard, complete with a picture and a name– but he knew that the identification wasn't the boy's, considering it showed a picture of an older man with the words _Carl Tambert, Team Rocket Head Scientist_ written across it. Samuel's grasp on the keycard tightened as he read these words, gaze shifting to stare at the picture intently– but he didn't recognize the man.

"Lose your job, Fuji?" Samuel muttered.

Closing his eyes, he looked away, letting out a long sigh. The keycard wasn't the boy's– so had the boy found it? Stolen it? But why would a Rocket grunt steal from his own organization? Perhaps that's why he was left out in the woods? By if that was the case then why didn't they take the keycard back?

"Bah!" Barney snapped– pulling Samuel out of his thoughts. He looked up, and saw that the Dragonite was tapping something that was around the boy's ankle. Frowning, the professor approached the two of them, looking down at a black band strapped across the boy's ankle.

"What on earth?" Samuel muttered, knowing right away it wasn't a fashion statement of any kind. The band had a plastic shell and scarlet text printed across it. The professor attempted to slide it off from the teen to get a better look, but the band was too small to do so. There was no mechanism to even loosen the band, as if it weren't meant to come off. The shape almost reminded him of a watch, a thicker section on part of the strap, but no face to tell the time.

It was on this section he found that part of the shell had been cracked open, revealing damaged electronic wiring. The damage had clearly been done on purpose, destroying the mechanism inside. With a frown the professor reached for his scissors again, attempting to cut the band from off of him.

The plastic shell cracked, but the scissors hit metal as they tried to cut through the band– a strip of metal was hidden away within the shell. He pulled back slightly, eyes flickering across the boy once more.

"Is this some kind of tracking device?" He muttered, staring at the ankle monitor in confusion.

And the familiar red 'R' on it showed it wasn't from the police.

But why would Team Rocket be tracking their own members– especially some teenage boy? He knew the high ranking members were powerful, would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. But the grunts were nothing but common thieves, pawns to the organization– so why would they use their resources to track a grunt?

Did they see him as a threat? A mere child? And if so would they just... get rid of him? As sickening as the thought was, that's what he would expect from Team Rocket. Could there be some other reason he had been left to the elements? Or was he just over thinking this whole thing?

"Red'," Samuel read, eyes scanning the only word on the band outside of the Team Rocket 'R'. Was it a code? A name? Just a brand?

Again, he looked over the boy, at the visible scars along his upper arms and neck. At first he had given them no thought, but to see such wounds on a _child_... And the gray apparel, at first he had been thinking a grunt, but he was quite sure they wore black. And he had an ankle monitor, as if this was someone they wanted to keep track of. And then a keycard that wasn't his, possibly stolen...

Perhaps this wasn't a member of Team Rocket at all?

"Maybe I'm just being hopeful..." He muttered, the professor pulling back with a sigh. "But either way, I'm going to help you, kid. Keep an eye on him, Barney, let me know if his condition changes," He looked down at the keycard in his hand one more time, shaking his head. "We're going to need something to get that monitor off of him, and to make sure the tracking device was properly destroyed... I don't need any Rockets showing up at my lab."

The Dragonite let out a rumble of agreement, looking down at the unconscious boy in concern.

* * *

_Crash!_

Professor Oak flinched as he heard the loud thump from upstairs, eyes glancing upwards. He had been going through several of the files he had stashed away in the basement, these filing cabinets covered in dust from having been tucked away for so long. For a moment he thought that Barney was knocking everything over as he normally did, but he had returned the Dragonite to its Pokeball earlier. With a sigh he tucked the files under his arm, and made his way towards the stairs.

He didn't hear anything else, no footsteps or the sounds of anyone moving about. The stairs creaked as he made his way up, the crowded lab meeting his gaze as he crested the final step. Everything was just as he left it, papers and tools scattered about on counters and tables, half finished projects just sitting out.

His gaze immediately shifted towards the couch where he had left the boy– which was empty. The teenager was now on the ground, wide eyes staring right at the professor. He wasn't sure if he had woken up and fallen off the couch, or if falling off was what had awoken him, but all that mattered was that he was now awake. His bright eyes were lit with panic, one hand clutching his injured wrist as he stared at the professor.

"You're awake," Samuel said, relief running through him. The boy flinched slightly as he spoke, but didn't shift overwise from where he had fallen. Professor Oak cleared his throat, trying to remind himself that the kid had no idea of how he had gotten here. "I'm Professor Samuel Oak, me and my granddaughter found you collapsed in the forest this morning."

No reply.

"We brought you here. You're currently in Pallet Town, in my lab."

The boy flinched as he said 'lab', eyes widening. His gaze shot around the room– before locking right back onto the professor as he took a step forward. He inched back, pressing himself against the couch, and Samuel paused.

"We need to get some water in you, I'm not sure when's the last time you've had a proper drink," He turned, heading over towards the sink, searching for a glass of some kind. "Judging by your condition you were about there for a few days."

Silence.

He held back a sigh, deciding he needed to give the kid a few more minutes to get used to his surroundings. He headed back towards the couch, a glass of water now in hand. Still the teen had yet to move, his head jerking up as the professor drew close. This time he didn't pause though, merely holding out the glass to him. A pair of bright red eyes peered up at him, the vibrant color being one he had never seen in a human before. His gaze was intense, full of a raw fear, but still he reached out with his good hand to take the cup. He drained it in just a few gulps, panting as he pulled the empty glass away.

"Why don't you sit down," Samuel said, taking the cup as he nodded towards the couch. He went to fill up the glass once more, and by the time he turned around the boy was up on the couch, head angled towards the ground. He hadn't even heard the boy move, but was glad he was getting a response that wasn't a stare. "Can you tell me your name?"

Red eyes looked up at him as he offered the water once more. The boy made no effort to reply, simply accepting the outstretched glass and draining it again.

"That's fine, you can tell me later," Samuel said as he once again took the empty cup, knowing there was no point in pushing him. "May I at least look at your wrist now that you're awake? You're probably going to need more than that brace if its broken."

The boy had been cradling his left swollen wrist to his chest, clutching it with his good hand. He hesitated at the request, but after a moment he shakily held out his hand. The professor frowned, the expression on the boy's face making it seem as if he didn't want to do so, but yet he hadn't put up any kind of fight.

He was careful as he slipped off the brace, but still the boy flinched as he touched his hand. He turned it over, frowning slightly, but decided that it wasn't sprained. Usually sprained joints tended to swell up much more than this, complete with some nasty bruises. And while there were bruises across his body, his wrist only had a few. But it didn't look broken either... probably a mild fracture. With that he pulled away from the boy, beginning to search the lab for something to bind the joint with before he put the brace back on.

The silence lingered while he worked, no response from the teen except for an occasional flinch as he shifted the wrist. He stared down at the bandage and brace now over his wrist to keep it from being jostled about. Except for the occasional flicker in his direction, the boy's eyes never made contact with him, clearly preferring to keep them locked on the ground. That's why the professor took notice when he saw that the boy was staring at something, and followed his gaze to the broken ankle monitor resting on the table.

"I hope you don't mind, but I cut that off of you while you were sleeping," The professor said slowly, and the teen reached down to touch his now-free ankle. "Took me a while to find something that could snip through the metal, and it seems you did well with destroying the tracking mechanism. Well, I'm assuming you're the one that did that."

The boy studied him, before he gave him the smallest of nods. He was surprised that he was getting an answer, but was careful to keep himself composed.

"...Was Team Rocket the one to put that on you?" Samuel hesitated before asking this question, but he needed to know. He needed to understand the boy's connection with the organization, why he was wearing the logo. He needed to know if he was a danger to this town, or someone that needed shelter.

Bright crimson eyes regarded him, hesitant and wary. After a few moments of the staring Samuel assumed he wasn't going to get another answer– but then the boy nodded. He swiftly looked away after, hand touching his chest, fingering where Team Rocket's logo had once been on his clothes. He seemed mildly surprised to see the 'R' was gone, but soon took notice of the other tears in his clothes as well.

A child, Team Rocket had been tracking a child. Okay, perhaps he wasn't a child, but still he was young. But why would Rocket do that? They definitely wouldn't waste resources on just tracking random members, and this wary boy most definitely didn't seem like one of Team Rocket's thieving members. Samuel reached over, picking up the ankle monitor, looking over it once more. It was small, but definitely wasn't cheap, so they clearly must have had some reason for tracking this boy.

"Could you please give me your name?" Samuel asked again, wondering if the League perhaps had any information on him. Was he someone considered as missing? Or perhaps someone that had been labeled as being part of Rocket?

The boy merely pointed at the device in his hand, and with a frown Samuel read the words on band. There was the 'R' of Team Rocket, alongside a string of numbers and a single word: "'Red'– all of which he had seen earlier. With a frown Samuel glanced back at the boy.

The boy nodded at the device again.

"...Red?" Samuel said aloud.

Another nod.

The professor's frown deepened. "...Red? That's your name?" This was met by another confirming nod, and the professor brushed a thumb over the lettering. "So then... Red. I have more questions for you, but I believe we have more important things to worry about. You need food and rest, and of course time for your body to recover. But I hope you don't mind me asking you one more thing– if Team Rocket was tracking you, then I'm guessing that this wasn't put on you willingly. That means you aren't apart of them, right?"

The only reason they'd be tracking someone is if they thought they were someone who would try to leave.

Red furrowed his brow together at this question, hesitating. He looked at the broken tracking device, before letting his gaze shift to the floor. He seemed to consider the question for a time, and then finally he looked back up at the professor. He could see the fear in his gaze, and the clear distrust. The fact that the boy was answering his questions was actually surprising him, considering that he had yet to even muster the courage to speak.

Finally, Red gave another nod– he was not apart of them.

The professor was well aware that Red could be lying to him, that he could actually be a member of Team Rocket and could very well be someone that he did not want in his lab– let alone his town. But he found himself believing the kid, and it was more than just giving Red the benefit of the doubt. The fear in his eyes had been clear whenever he mentioned Team Rocket, and the way he pulled back was just not how a hardened thief should act. This was just a child, and the injuries on him simply showed he had a much bigger story to tell than the small nods he had given.

Besides, Samuel knew what it was like to want to get away from Team Rocket.

"You stay here and rest," Professor Oak said softly. "And I'll go get you something to eat."

Red didn't reply, just staring at the floor.

* * *

Everything in Red was screaming at him to run.

A man in a lab coat, the fact that he was in a laboratory– none of these should be a comfort. He had come to know that these kind of people meant danger, but he had also come to learn that they were not someone to disobey. Father was the one that assigned him to them, and Father's orders left no room for argument.

Except for this man couldn't be part of Team Rocket.

He wore no 'R' on his lab coat, and this so called 'lab' was nothing like the pristine labs he had spent so much time in. This place was much too small to be apart of any base, and if he had truly been found by Team Rocket... he knew they wouldn't be treating his wounds. Not after what he had done...

He had released Mewtwo.

Mewtwo's betrayal stung, but it did not surprised him in the slightest. He knew of the hybrid's history, that it had blood on its hands from the moment it had control over its powers. Its hatred for humans, for Team Rocket, had been ingrained into it from its youth. Humans had tortured it, had bound and restrained it, had been the very ones to create it. For it to turn against a human, to use him as it had been used... it was nothing but expected.

Its sheer hatred for Team Rocket, for being compared to the group, had been the only reason why it had spared him.

That was what had hurt, the fact that the being he had put so much trust in had refused to put any amount of trust into him. When Mewtwo could see his thoughts, his intentions, when it had known that he had planned on following through on their deal... it still hadn't trusted him.

Red knew that he shouldn't be dwelling on the creature though– he should be focusing on what was happening now. He was free, he had managed to escape the base alive. He had spent a few days struggling through the wilds of Kanto, drinking from rivers and stealing food from Pokemon, but that too was now over. He was in Pallet Town... wherever that was, but for the moment he was safe.

Not that he trusted this strange older man, but he had made no effort to hurt him.

He had offered Red a bag of trail mix to eat, promising to give him a 'real' meal as soon as it was ready, but food was food. He pulled nuts and dried berries from the bag one piece at a time with his good hand, making no rush despite the pain in his stomach. The trail mix was making him thirsty again, but despite seeing the sink across the room he didn't stand. He didn't know where the professor had gone, and didn't want him to return to find him elsewhere than where he had been told to be.

He would stay here for now, he'd do what the man said and answer his questions– and he'd more than willingly take the food and water he was given. But the moment he saw his chance, Red had every intention of getting out of here.

The boy paused as he placed a dried berry in his mouth, a strange feeling washing over him. He raised his head as he sensed the unfamiliar presence, his crimson eyes darkening. He shot a glance around the lab, but had yet to see anyone, but he heard the small tapping of claws. A few papers rustled, and he saw an orange blur of something racing off of the counter and out of sight. Immediately he tensed, and he could feel a foreign curiosity in the air. Again he heard a tapping of claws, before it came to a stop.

He mentally reached out towards the Pokemon, a wave of emotions washing over him as he did so. He could sense its interest, the curiosity easily being the strongest emotion it radiated. Unlike him the Pokemon didn't seem wary at all, just a pulsing happiness surrounding it as it came closer.

A pair of bright blue eyes peer out from the table in the center of the room, the Pokemon looking towards him. Red stared back at the orange creature, who let out a small chirp of greeting in his direction. He didn't offer any response to the Pokemon, but it smiled happily as if he had, revealing a row of sharp teeth. It slunk around the table, slowly drawing closer to him.

It wasn't a species he recognized, but still Red took in everything he could about it. Small, round orange scales covered his entire form, a long tail swinging behind him as he crept forward on all fours. Sharp white claws curled out from his hands and legs, clicking as he headed across the tiled floor. A bright red flame crackled at the end of his tail, and his bright blue eyes were locked right on Red.

Fire type, a good strong typing, though they struggled greatly against their weaknesses. Longer front claws suggested it favored a closer fighting style, and probably relied on slashing-based attacks. Red shuddered at this thought, but still didn't pull his gaze away from the Pokemon. It was small, but seemed that it would be speedy in a fight. He extended his mental reach, but met no resistance as he grasped the emotions around the Pokemon, slowly pressing his own emotions into its mind. The easiest for him had always been fear, and right away the Pokemon stiffened up in response. Blue eyes widened, the cheerful expression fading as a low whimper filled the room. The Pokemon pressed up against his legs, attempting to seek comfort as the fear took hold.

Red blinked, slightly started that he still had met no resistance, and he withdrew his mental hold. Immediately the Pokemon relaxed, confusion in his gaze as he looked around. The lizard glanced up at him, as if asking him what had just happened, but the boy gave him no response. The fire type didn't seem concerned, jumping up onto the couch next to him, smacking his lips. He was staring at the bag of trail mix, before looking up at Red hopefully.

He reached into the bag, pulling out another dried berry and offering it to the small Pokemon. White claws snapped out, grabbing it from his hand and stuffing it into his mouth. He closed his eyes as he swallowed, tail swinging side to side.

"Char~" The Pokemon called up happily, and he looked towards the bag again.

Red offered him another berry, which he gulped down just as quickly. He then looked towards the bag for the third time, which made Red frown. He closed his eyes, linking his mind to the Pokemon once more, before carefully impressing the feeling of being full into the small creature's head. A scarlet eye cracked open, and he found that the lizard had lost interest in the food– sniffing at the bag– before curling up next to him, a happy rumble running through him. He didn't mind the Pokemon lingering near him though, knowing he could easily turn it against any threat if the need arose.

"Charmander, you're not bothering our guest, are you?"

Both Red and the Charmander stiffened upon hearing Professor Oak's voice, the small lizard raising his head with an apologetic smile. Red kept his gaze locked on the ground, waiting to see what would happen next. Would the man demand more answers from him? He seemed to have an endless supply of questions.

"Just shove him away if he's giving you too much trouble," The professor said as he entered the main room of the lab, glancing over several folders. "He's an attention seeker, but he means no harm."

Red said nothing.

"Ms. Leaf has agreed to bring you over a proper meal, which is a good thing considering my cooking tends to resemble a Grimmer," He let out a light chuckle, which Red found strange. He had been so serious when he had first awoken, but now his words seemed more casual. The sudden shift was only making him more wary.

Charmander climbed into Red's lap, pawing at the bag of trail mix.

* * *

"You called for me, sir?"

Dark eyes shifted towards the figure that had just entered the room, the teal haired man swiftly going into a bow as his boss's eyes locked on him. The room was dim as the man regarded him, a Persian pacing impatiently in front of his desk. Silence settled into the room, not even the sound of the Pokemon's footsteps being heard.

"I have just gotten a call from the League," The man said after a moment, his tone cold. "It seems they have caught word of the... 'explosion' that took place at the base, and as the closest gym leader they are sending me to investigate."

"I see, sir," The teal haired man hesitated before replying, not sure of what his boss wanted from him.

"As such, I will need to leave for some time," The man pushed himself to his feet, his Persian pausing from its pacing. "The gym is to remained closed, and while I am away you shall be in charge, Proton."

Proton's eyes widened slightly at this, a smiling crawling up onto his face. He remained bowing, however, but couldn't keep the eagerness out of his voice. "I will not fail you, Giovanni, sir."

Giovanni closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. Proton was an efficient worker, but at times just a bit too eager to please. He knew that the admin had been waiting for any chance to prove himself, jumping onto any opportunity that came his way. That was why he was stationed at the gym in the first place, having been the first one to volunteer.

He was a loyal worker, however. Even as a grunt he had been set on the idea of Team Rocket's glory itself, and not just his own gain. Giovanni had been monitoring him for sometime now, seeing if he would be someone worth promoting. He wasn't the only one he had his eye on however, other names having popped up throughout Team Rocket. A man named William had been getting high praise from his executives, and Grey had shown nothing but pure loyalty for years.

But all of this had fallen out of Giovanni's concern ever since the escape of Project M2.

The clone's escape had been the largest blow the organization had faced in years. Not only was the creature a project he had invested millions into, but he had invested just as much in keeping it contained.

Every since Project M2's escape, the leader of Team Rocket had been in anything but a good mood. This wasn't the first time the clone had escaped, and just like the first time it broke free it had claimed dozens of lives– lives that had been quite useful to Team Rocket, but were now gone. It had taken years to recapture, and the most advanced technology to withstrain it. He had been able to hold it bound for many years now, and the fact that it had escaped was as if all that time had been thrown away, all for nothing.

And while one of his most advanced bases had been destroyed, and while he had lost many valuable workers, one thing he had not lost was knowledge. After losing the Pokemon Mansion, Giovanni had learned not to keep data stored in one place. They had been set back so far the first time Mewtwo had escaped, including how the clone had been created in the first place. And with Blaine dead, the man behind it all was gone as well.

But now every piece of data, every experiment and action was stored where he could access it. The entire base may have been destroyed, dozens may have been killed, and the clone may have been free, but the situation wasn't hopeless. Bases could be built, people could be hired, and the clone could be recaptured.

"You are dismissed," Giovanni snapped at Proton, turning his back on his subordinate.

"Of course, sir," Proton said, swiftly backing out of the room.

Giovanni snatched a folder from his desk, flipping it open to look down at a file– the file of Doctor Carl Tambert, his former head scientist. This had been another he had considered promoting, the man having made some of the greatest strides towards controlling Project M2.

But Tambert was now dead.

"Dead as a traitor should be," Giovanni muttered, snapping the folder shut as he headed away from his desk. His Persian was at his side, looking up at his trainer as he reached for his coat. "You should be grateful that the M2 killed you, Tambert," Giovanni said quietly, eyes flashing darkly. "Because if I were able to get my hands on you then you would have nothing but a world of pain."

Tambert. He had never expected the man to betray him– but the records didn't lie. He had access to everything that had gone on in the base until M2 had destroyed it, and the records showed that it had been Tambert that had freed M2. The creature hadn't overwhelmed their technology, hadn't broken free, it had been released under Tambert's authority. He didn't know what Tambert had hoped to accomplish by freeing it, he should have known that it would have killed him.

He should have known that Red wasn't enough to control it.

Giovanni's lips pressed in a thin line. The records also showed that Red had been in the room when M2 had been released, his ankle monitor showing that he had left his room in the middle of the night before heading there. His door had been unlocked by Tambert, who had probably been hoping to use the boy to control M2. Minutes after M2 had been released the monitor had stopped sending in signals, the boy being among the first to die in the attack.

Red's abilities were the one thing that Giovanni could not replace.

The only answer Giovanni didn't have were Tambert's motives– what had he hoped to accomplish by freeing M2? It couldn't have just been out of bitterness or spite, just setting it free to have it destroy everything– or else he wouldn't have brought the boy with him. Had he hoped to make progress in controlling it? Trying to run an experiment with Red that he wouldn't have approved of– so he had snuck him away in the middle of the night?

That didn't explain why he had fully released the creature though.

The only answer was that Tambert was a traitor, and had hoped that Red would be enough to protect him from M2's wrath. The thought made Giovanni want to chuckle– M2 spared no one. It was a merciless being, one he had carefully crafted. It wouldn't be swayed to any side, it would only be driven by its endless rage.

M2 couldn't be tamed, which was why it had to be controlled.

Giovanni let out a sigh as he made his way through the gym, the building just as dark as his office had been. Viridian City was the only settlement he would consider as home, but yet his time here was nothing but a facade. A mask he put on, his role as the gym leader that watched over Viridian City. A quiet, but a progressive place, one he had worked in comfortably for many years. The city had come to know him as their quiet gym leader, and always greeted him warmly. There was few people here he had truly bothered to ever get to know, as his attention was always being needed elsewhere.

"Well, Persian, let us go and investigate this strange 'explosion' the League has found, shall we?" Giovanni asked, and the Persian flicked its tail. He had expected the League to send him, as he was the closest gym leader, and it was also something he had been depending on– as any other member of the league would be nothing but interference for Team Rocket. They had enough on their plate to deal with already, and the last thing they needed was the league interfering.

The sun was blinding as he stepped outside, eyes narrowing as he exited the dim gym. His Persian let out a low purr as his trainer looked out, and Giovanni gently rubbed him behind the ear.


	3. Chapter 3

**Forrest = Green/Blue/Gary/Rival from Kanto.**

**Aoi = Blue/Green/Leaf/Female playable character from Kanto.**

**I chose the names Forrest and Aoi so we wouldn't have three major characters coincidentally all being named after colors. Of course in a way they still are, since forests are green and Aoi means blue.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Professor Oak sighed, leaning up against the wall of the lab as he looked out at Pallet, the morning sun spreading over the small town. It was still fairly early in the morning, perhaps much too early by many people's standards, but Samuel had been up for some time now, simply enjoying the morning.

His eyes shifted across the front of the lab, gaze settling on Red, who was sitting cross-legged in the grass, his normal neutral expression spread over his face. Having spent two nights resting in the lab, this was Red's third day in Pallet Town, and his first time heading outside since Samuel had found him. He hadn't done much in his time here, making no indication of what he thought of his current situation, often just spending the day on the couch, silently watching the professor as he worked.

He had finally decided that the boy needed some fresh air, and had brought him outside. He hadn't complained or seemed eager at the idea, just following him out when he had invited him to come. Silence was something he had grown used to around Red though– as not a single word had escaped his mouth in his time here.

It didn't matter what he said to the boy, how he approached him, he could get no vocal response from him. At first he hadn't thought too much of it, thinking that Red just merely needed some time to become comfortable with the new surroundings. But he seemed to have adjusted to the lab, no longer flinching or pulling back whenever the professor entered. Of course he still watched him with that wary gaze of his, and he never answered questions with more than a nod or a shake of a head– but he was willing to answer them.

There was still so much he didn't understand about the boy, and it was frustrating that he wasn't able to get clear answers.

"Mander~" A small voice sang, and orange shape happily dancing about Red in the grass. The small Charmander dove in front of the teen, laying out on his back, exposing his belly to the human, watching him hopefully. Red's gaze flickered down to the Pokemon, regarding him, but not petting him as he so clearly wanted him to do. "Char..."

Professor Oak didn't understand what the fire type's fascination was with the boy, as Red had done nothing but basically ignore him in the time he had been here. He didn't push the Pokemon away, even letting him climb over him at times, but he had never so much as even stroked Charmander. But the Pokemon seemed determined to win over him, constantly following Red throughout the day, and even staying with him in the lab overnight.

Red had recovered much quicker from many of his wounds than the professor had expected, the cuts on his body mostly healed and the bruises already starting to fade, and his strength having swiftly returned. The fact that he had been dehydrated and possibly in the first stages of starvation just a few days ago was startling.

He looked a lot better as well with fresh clothes and a shower, though the borrowed outfit hung a bit loosely on him. Despite them appearing to be about the same age, Red was clearly thinner than Forrest.

Professor Oak was surprised that he had been able to keep Red at the lab undisturbed– no Forrest barging in nor Aoi coming for one of her many visits. Mary and Daisy had been the only ones to show up at his lab door, and that was only when they brought over meals. It wasn't that he wanted to keep Red isolated, but he felt it would be better if he gave him the space while he recovered.

Professor Oak had no leads of what to do with the boy. He had _some_ connection with Team Rocket, but even that wasn't the most conclusive of information. He wasn't a grunt, he didn't seem to be a thief, so he wasn't someone he was going to hand over to the police. But he didn't know the kid's last name, where he had come from, or where he should go. He had nothing to look up to see if he was missing, to know where his family was. Was he supposed to just keep him until he got some answers? He wasn't about to throw him out into the streets...

He eyed the brace on the boy's arm. He seemed stable enough, so perhaps the next best course of action was to take him to Pewter, get his wrist checked out, and hand him over to officials. They could be the ones to find his family, and make sure he was safe. His stomach twisted though, knowing that this wasn't just some kid. If Team Rocket had been using resources to track him, they would probably put in resources to find him again. And the very last thing he wanted was for him to fall back into Team Rocket's hands.

But if he told League officials that the kid had any connection to Team Rocket then they would only be suspicious of Red.

"Bah-roo!" A happy voice bellowed from above, a shadow flying over them. There was a rush of wings, and an orange figure landed in front of him, the force of the landing strong enough to shake the ground.

"Hello, Bar–" Samuel began, but before he could finish a pair of scaly arms scooped him up. The Dragonite brought him into a crushing hug, taking no heed of his trainer struggling as his face was plastered against his scales. The Pokemon cradled the professor to his chest, letting out happy rumbles as he did so.

He let out a gasp as he finally managed to twist his head to the side, Barney's face nuzzling his head in an affectionate manner, before finally setting him on the ground. He swung his head down so it was closer to the professor's level, and with a sigh he stroked the top of his head.

"You know you're not a Dratini anymore," The professor muttered, shaking his head– though he was just grateful that the dragon no longer tried to curl up on his shoulder. He remembered all to well being nearly crushed several times by a newly evolved Dragonair, and the hugs he gave as a Dragonite were definitely more tolerable. "Barney was the one that carried you here," Professor Oak explained when he saw Red's wary glance. "He's excitable, so I didn't let him in the lab much while you were recovering."

Red said nothing, just watching the Pokemon, and the Dragonite's gaze turned towards Red. Charmander perked up when he saw the dragon type, small chitters coming from him. A grin came over the Pokemon's face, and he took a step forward.

"Barney wait–" The professor began, knowing that the last thing the boy needed was one of Barney's hugs, but the Dragonite had already focused on his next target. He let out a cheerful rumble, happily stomping towards the young teen with his arms opened wide.

Red tensed up, eyes sliding shut as the Dragonite rushed towards him. Professor Oak opened his mouth, ready to firmly order Barney to stop, but before a sound could escape his lips the Dragonite came to a sudden halt. Samuel blinked in surprise, startled as his Pokemon went as stiff as a board. There was very little that could stop Barney mid-hug, so he frowned as he took a step towards the still dragon.

His blue eyes were unfocused, the Pokemon as still as a statue as he stood there, arms and wings going limp after a moment. Samuel laid a hand on his side, but Barney didn't so much as twitch at the contact. A low whimper escaped his throat, and he stumbled back a few steps.

"...Barney?" Samuel asked, worry entering his tone, and the Dragonite blinked a few times. The blank expression faded, his gaze shifting towards the professor. He let out a loud yawn, blinking some more as he looked about, and then he let out a content rumble. Barney lowered his head, nuzzling the professor.

"Char!" Charmander cried, bolting up to the two males. The Dragonite let out another happy rumble, reaching down and scooping the Charmander into his arms. He embraced the young Pokemon, looking far too calm for the Dragonite the professor knew.

He could only stare as Barney set the Charmander into his arms, wings flaring open. His Pokemon took to the sky, acting as if nothing had happened. He flew out towards the ranch, leaving the two humans behind. The professor glanced towards Red, as if hoping he would have some explanation, but the boy just stared at him with a blank expression. Charmander slipped out of the professor's arms, bolting across the grass and straight to Red's side. The lizard rubbed his head against Red's leg, before curling up onto the grass next to him.

"Hey! Gramps!"

Professor Oak let out a long as he heard the voice calling to him, looking up as he saw a figure making their way to the lab. Even off in the distance it wasn't hard to tell who it was, a recognizable wild mess of brown hair atop his head. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Red tensing, Charmander mimicking him.

"Forrest, I thought I told you to not come to the lab," Samuel said, but his comment was tossed to a side with a snort as the teen drew closer.

"That was several days ago," Forrest said, bright green eyes lit with frustration. "Besides, how am I supposed to even talk to you if the only times you come home are in the middle of the night?"

His grandson paused a ways from him, arms crossed as he glowered as his grandfather. There was a blue Pokemon at his side, one who looked much calmer than the human she was with. Samuel simply sighed, making his way towards the boy, wondering what he wanted– most of his complaints he took to his sister.

"You know I've been busy," Samuel replied. "I–"

"Charmander char!"

Charmander cut him off with a happy cry– the fire type bolting towards Forrest as fast as his legs could carry him. They barely had time to even blink before he tackled the Pokemon at Forrest's side, knocking her onto her back and into the grass. The Charmander sat perched on the belly of her shell, tail thumping happily as he nuzzled her.

"Squirtle!" She cried– before retreating into her shell. Charmander blinked in confusion, leaning forward and pawing at the hole in her shell. The Squirtle didn't move, and Charmander hopped off of the shell to get a better look. "Squirt!"

Squirtle popped back out of her shell, pouncing on Charmander and knocking him to the ground in retaliation. The fire type let out a happy laugh, wrapping his clawed arms around her neck in a crushing hug. The water type rubbed her head against him, the two Pokemon embracing.

"You know me and Aoi are leaving in a few days, right?" Forrest asked with a sneer. "You know, on our journey? The journey to help with _your_ research?"

Samuel paused, his eyes widening slightly. "Wait– that's this week?" He let out an uncertain chuckle. "I could have sworn that was a few weeks from now..." His gaze shifted towards Red. "Must have lost track of time with everything going on..."

"You're going to be ready– right?" Forrest demanded. "I'm not delaying my journey just because you forgot!"

The professor let out another sigh. "...I had a few things delivered to Viridian that you'll need, that wouldn't be too much of a hassle for you to pick up, right–?"

Forrest scowled. "I'm not playing delivery boy."

Professor Oak expected this answer, but still it was a bit frustrating. The boy was just like his father at times, stubborn and headstrong, never even pausing to think about what was going on around him. He knew he could always ask Daisy to go pick it up, but she did so much for him already that he didn't want to ask too much of her. Aoi was always an option as well, but he'd much rather send someone a bit more... reliable. His eyes turned towards Red, whose gaze was flickering between Forrest, the professor, and the two Pokemon.

"I'll go on Aquila and pick it up today," Professor Oak said. "I'll have everything ready for you and Aoi on Friday, don't you worry," Forrest relaxed in the slightest, a small satisfied smirk tugging on his lips. "Is Daisy still against going on a journey? I think it would be good for her, and it'd make Charmander's day."

"You know that she doesn't care about your research," Forrest replied, and Samuel let out another sigh.

"Red, come here for a moment," He said, waving the teen towards him. Scarlet eyes looked up at him, the teen hesitating, before pushing himself to his feet. "This is my grandson, Forrest. Forrest, this is who me and your sister found– Red."

Forrest scanned Red with his bright emerald eyes. "So you're the one that's been causing all the fuss, huh?"

"I want you to show Red around Pallet Town while I head to Viridian," Samuel said– and instantly both teens stiffened up. "I expect you to be a good host, I shouldn't be gone for too long."

"I have other things to do besides babysit!" Forrest protested.

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm not asking you to babysit. I don't think it should be too hard to drop that attitude for a couple of hours, especially considering that I'm heading out to get supplies for your journey."

Forrest gritted his teeth, but said nothing. Samuel gave him a smile, deciding that this would be good for both of them. Red needed time outside of the lab, and perhaps he'd be more comfortable around someone his own age rather than a strange old man. Forrest could use the same as well, as the only other person in Pallet his age was Aoi– and the two of them bickered like siblings.

"I'll be back soon," Samuel said, turning towards the lab to grab his Pidgeot's Pokeball. "Keep them out of trouble, won't you Shelly?"

The small Squirtle currently had Charmander pinned to the ground, and she gave the professor a wave and a nod, and he let out a small chuckle.

* * *

"I don't know what Gramps wants me to show you, considering that there's literally nothing here in Pallet," Forrest muttered. "You've seen one building, you've seen it all– welcome to Pallet, the most boring place on earth."

Red frowned slightly, seeing Pallet as anything but boring. It was a town he had never seen before– meaning it was a whole new place to explore. Not that he even had an interest in exploring it, but everything around him was something new to take it. And to just be able to step outside and feel the sun on his skin... it was something he hadn't been able to do in years.

"It's Red, right?" Forrest asked after a moment, and frowned when Red nodded. "Weird name... but whatever. Where are you from?"

His stomach twisted– not this again. Just when he thought the questions were over more were now thrown at him. His gaze flickered to the ground before looking at Forrest, then once again slipping away when he saw those sharp green eyes boring into him. He hesitated, before giving a small shrug, which only earned a scowl from Forrest.

"How enlightening," He muttered under his breath. And even though Red couldn't sense his emotions like he could a Pokemon, it was quite clear that Forrest would rather be anywhere but here, and to be stuck alone with someone that didn't like him... that was the last thing Red wanted.

Red's eyes settled onto the Pokemon in front of them, the Charmander and the Squirtle happily chattering away. He wasn't sure what they were talking about, but the excitement was rolling off of them in waves. Shelly was waving her arms about, and there was a sparkle in Charmander's eyes. The Charmander's emotions had been easy to manipulate in these last few days, having felt no resistance from the fire type, and so if Forrest became a threat it would be easy to turn the lizard to use for his protection.

Of course directly controlling a Pokemon was exhausting, but a small burst of anger would be more than enough to allow him the chance to slip away.

"Well, what did he say?"

Every muscle in Red tensed as he heard the voice– one completely unfamiliar to him. He spun around on a heel, and found a pair of deep blue eyes looking at him. He wasn't the only one that had been startled by the sudden appearance– Forrest flinching in surprise, while Shelly fired a Water Gun at the human.

"Gah!" The girl held up her hands as the blast of water hit her in the face, sputtering and coughing as the attack died down. Red stumbled back a few steps, eyes wide as he stared at the girl who had just burst out of the bushes.

"Aoi, what on earth?" Forrest cried. "You know Gramps doesn't want anyone at the lab right now!"

She grinned, looking unconcerned even with water dripping down her face. "Well, _you're _here right now. Anyways– what did the professor say?"

"Yeah, because he's my grandfather," Forrest muttered, pushing himself to his feet. "And about the journey, he forgot about it– no surprise there. But we're still leaving Friday, he's gone to go pick up some supplies or something– left me here with this kid."

He pointed to Red with a wave, turning Aoi's focus from Forrest to him. Instantly Red tensed up as their eyes met, staring at the new girl with a cautious gaze. Charmander tensed up as well, earning a confused glance from Shelly. Aoi took a step towards Red, her blue eyes lit up with interest, long tangled dark hair falling in front of her face.

"Hello!" She said happily, bounding forward another step– and Red took a step back. "You're Reid, right? _Everyone's_ been talking about you but the professor wouldn't let anyone see you! I'm Aoi, it's nice to finally meet you!"

She extended her hand while beaming, but he was avoiding her gaze. Aoi frowned, leaning closer, only resulting in him pulling back more. She didn't seem to get the hint though, once again coming closer.

"His name is Red, not Reid, and honestly I wouldn't bother trying to get buddy-buddy," Forrest said, crossing his arms. "He hasn't even said a word to me."

"Well I don't blame him, who'd want to talk to you, Mr. Grouchy?" She grinned at Red, while Forrest simply rolled his eyes. "Anyways, do you think you can take me to go see Bulbasaur, Forrest? Please?"

"Like I said, Gramps doesn't want us tromping around the lab."

"Come on, Bulbasaur is going to be mine in a few days anyways, and I miss him!" She turned towards Red, bouncing on her heels. "We're leaving on a journey, and we're going to get our own Pokemon and we'll get to battle, and it's going to be _awesome."_

Red's heart was thumping in his chest, not knowing of what he should do. The girl's voice made him want to cringe, that horrible high pitched sound for some reason unbearable to him. And she wouldn't stop talking, the words just pouring from her, that smile plastered over her face. To Red her excitement was unnatural, her very eagerness telling him to get away. Very rarely did someone else's happiness mean something good for him, and her focus on him was only making it worse.

It was always safer to stay in the background.

"You know what? Fine. Gramps said to show the kid around, so you can just tag along," Forrest muttered, glancing at Charmander and Shelly. "Besides, Bulbasaur will be out on the ranch and not in the lab, so you wouldn't be messing with Gramps' research."

"Thank you Forrest, you're the best!" Aoi squealed, attempting to throw her arms around Forrest in a giant hug, but he simply shoved her away with an arm.

Forrest made his way around the side of the lab, clearly intending for them to follow. Aoi happily bounded after him, and Shelly calmly followed the humans as well. Charmander rose to his feet, glancing between the Squirtle and Red as he drew up to his side. The little fire type looked up at him, before rubbing his head against his ankles affectionately. He frowned at the Pokemon, not particularly wanting to follow after Forrest and Aoi, but he wasn't sure of where else he should go. Clearly the professor wanted him to stay with them, but the professor also wasn't here. If Red wanted to leave Pallet Town, now could his chance.

But so far no one here had tried to hurt him, he had constant access to food and water, unlike wandering through the wilds. The quietness of the lab had become calming in the last few days, and even he didn't trust anyone here, they didn't seem to be a direct threat either. At the moment he had no where else to go, and no reason to leave.

With a sigh he carefully followed after Forrest and Aoi, ignoring the Charmander darting about his feet.

* * *

The ranch was much larger than what Red had been expecting– large green fields rolling across the hills behind the lab, fading away into the forest that bordered the small town. The morning sun was continuing its climb in the sky, the blistering brightness making Red narrow his eyes. They had been out here for what felt like several hours, and while he only wanted to retreat back into a building, no one had made any effort to go elsewhere.

Forrest seemed bored though, leaning up against a tree, arms crossed and eyes closed. Red too had taken shelter in the shade, though he lingered on the far edges, making sure to keep everyone in his sights. The Pokemon were off playing in the sun, and Aoi had joined them, the girl grinning from ear to ear as the Pokemon ran about her.

The Bulbasaur she had spoken so fondly about turned out to be a small green creature, with slick skin covered in spots. He seemed to be the calmest of the three Pokemon with Aoi, either soaking in the sun or just quietly lumbering about. A large bulb rested on his back, a much darker green than the rest of the hue that covered him.

Charmander was chasing Shelly around– but whenever the lizard caught her she just simply retreated into her shell. Charmander seemed undaunted though, always pouncing onto the armor and pawing at it with his claws, as if he could somehow break through the strong shell.

"Mander?" He called as she once again hid away into her shell. Charmander peered down at the hole where she had drew in her head, trying to stuff his own into it. But the fire type's head was larger than the Squirtle's– and he only toppled over onto the grass as he tried to follow her into the shell. "Char?"

Charmander blinked in confusion as he sat up, and he crept forward on four legs, nudging the shell once more. With a whine he again pawed at the shell, before reaching in with an arm in search of the Squirtle.

"Char!" Charmander suddenly let out a pained yelp, blue eyes widening. He tried to withdraw his hand, and in the same moment Shelly pulled out of her shell– her beak clamped around Charmander's arm.

Shelly released him, the fire type whimpering as he cradled his arm against his chest. He shot a pouting glare at the Squirtle, who flicked her tail in reply. Aoi reached out, picking up the small Charmander, and the lizard curled up into her arms, the fire of his tail crackling unhappily.

"Are we done here?" Forrest asked as Aoi cuddled Charmander.

"Of course not– you're supposed to be showing Red around– why don't you show him the barn next?" Aoi brightened up, turning towards Red. "Asher and Alex are usually in there, and you can even ride them! Well, not really Alex, since he'd probably buck you off but I have seen Tauros racing competitions on TV so I know it is possible–"

"Why do you even bother?" Forrest snapped. "He hasn't said a word the entire time we've been here!"

"So? Maybe he just can't talk, but that's no reason to ignore him," Aoi replied. "Besides, he can still hear us, you know? Hey Red! Do you want to go see the barn?"

He shook his head.

"Okay then, we can do something else then. Maybe we could all go to my place and grab some snacks, or maybe we can go to Forrest's and see if Daisy wants to hang out with us as well, or–"

Red closed his eyes, trying to push her annoying voice out of his mind. He had said no because he knew that she'd probably just chatter away about the Pokemon in the barn if they went there, but apparently it didn't matter where they went. He was regretting having chosen to follow the two of them over here, and wished he would have stayed near the lab. Or maybe he just should have left when the opportunity presented itself. He had a sinking feeling they would follow if he tried to go anywhere else now though– and would probably throw a million questions on where he was heading.

He backed away as Forrest snapped something at Aoi– their focus turning towards each other. Charmander was still in Aoi's arms, peering up at her as she threw a pouting face at Forrest, and the fire type tilted his head in confusion.

Red could feel the emotions coming from Charmander with ease, not even having to mentally forge a bond with him. They seemed to just pour from him, and at times Red had to make a conscious effort to push them away– which was definitely a new sensation. Often times he had to force himself into a Pokemon's mind, as they often resisted his influence, and he honestly didn't know how to react to a Pokemon that was so simple to read.

There were other things to capture his focus though– as the three young Pokemon weren't the only ones on the ranch. He could sense two presences within the barn a ways off, and there were other Pokemon scattered about the field, and even more in the forest beyond. But he found his gaze being drawn towards the sky– where a gleaming Pokemon was flying above. He had to narrow his eyes at the light reflecting from the golden feathers of the Pidgeot swooping overhead.

She circled above them once, going into a gentle decent as she glided down. Professor Oak was riding on her back, secured to the Pokemon with a leather harness. Her wings stirred up a breeze as she softly touched the ground, craning her head up high. The professor didn't look at any of them, gaze unfocused as Aoi bounded up to them.

"Professor Oak!" She cried, a wide grin spreading over her face. "You're back!"

The man didn't reply for a moment, it taking a moment for him to shift his gaze towards her. He smiled, while Red's gaze narrowed. Despite the gentle look on his face, his eyes had a far off look to them, the smile on his face clearly a forced one. No one else seemed to notice this though– Aoi beaming in reply, and Charmander slipping out of her arms and bolting to Professor Oak as he unhooked himself out of the harness.

"Hello Aoi, my girl," He said, slipping off of the shiny Pidgeot. "It's good to see you, been a few days, hasn't it? Yeah, it has..."

He trailed off, Charmander pawing at his legs as he stood there, one hand on his Pidgeot's side.

"Yep! I haven't seen you at all! But you were of course taking care of Red so I'm sure you were busy. I hope you don't mind us being at the ranch, I just really wanted to see Haru since I haven't been able to come and visit him, but Forrest did say that you wanted him to show Red around and so he brought us here–"

"It was your idea!"

"And I wanted Red to see all of your Pokemon but I wasn't sure if you wanted us to do that while you were gone so now that you're here maybe you could let him see them? You have the strongest Pokemon here in town after all–"

The professor let out a sigh as she rambled on, a smile flickering up on his face that was a more real than the last one. It faded after a moment though, that far off gaze returning. He looked at Red for a few seconds, green eyes staring into crimson, before he turned his focus back to his Pidgeot. There was a parcel and a bag secured to her harness, which he began to loose from her.

"Perhaps another day, Aoi," The professor said slowly. "I have some... other matters to attend to," He slipped the bag over his shoulder. "My package wasn't the only thing I had waiting for me at Viridian, but a few messages from the League as well. They need my help, and well... I'm afraid I won't be here Friday for you guys to set off, which is why–"

"What?" Forrest cried.

"Aww..." Aoi's cheerful gaze instantly fell.

"_Which is why,"_ Professor Oak said again as he was cut off. "I was wondering if you two would be willing to leave tomorrow. You have my permission Forrest, of course, but Aoi you will need to talk with your mother. But if you two would be packed and ready to go, I'll have your supplies, Pokemon, and Pokedex all ready in the morning."

"You mean we can be trainers tomorrow?!" Aoi leap forward, her shrill voice becoming even higher with her excited cry. Forrest's excitement seemed to actually match Aoi's, a wide grin painted over his face.

"I will need you two to take Red with you though," The professor continued, earning a confused look from all three teens. "He needs someone to get a proper look at his wrist, so I want you two to take him to the clinic in Pewter. I'd do it myself, but as I said the League needs me– and I'll probably gone for a week at least, and I'm not going to make him wait that long."

"Sure, whatever," Forrest said. "Just as long as we can leave as soon as possible!"

"...Char?" Charmander paused, looking between the humans. No one replied, and so he called out once more, again pawing at the professor's leg. "Char? Char? Char?"

"You'll be staying here," He reached down, scooping up the small fire type as confusion flashed through his eyes. "Daisy's not going on a journey, remember?"

"M-mander!" The fire type let out a panic cry, twisting in the professor's grasp. He attempted to keep hold of the Pokemon, but the Charmander broke free– and bolted straight towards Red.

He stiffened up as the Pokemon sprang at him, Charmander landing in his arms. His scales were warm against his skin as he pressed up against Red, claws digging into his shirt. Immediately he tensed as he felt the Pokemon's claws, going still as Charmander clung to him. A scaly tail curled around his arm, the flames sparking in tune to the fire type's twisting panic.

"Looks like Charmander doesn't want Red to leave," Aoi said, letting out a small coo. "That's adorable!"

Red carefully pried the Pokemon away from him, holding him out. His wrist hurt slightly at this action, but he didn't even flinch. Sky blue eyes stared into his narrowed gaze, the Charmander now clinging to his hands, trying to slip out of his grip and onto his arms. He scurried across them as he broke free and onto his shoulders, peering out at everyone. Red's heart began thumping as claws pressed against the thin scars on his back, chills racing down him as the Pokemon brushed against his neck.

Charmander tensed as well, drinking in the fear running through Red. His tail curled around him, head pressing under his neck in search of comfort from the sudden fear. The teen took in a ragged breath, the Pokemon's warm belly pressed against the back of his neck as he tried to calm himself. But the only thing he could picture was rough fingers gripping the back of his neck, cold black eyes looking down at him with an expressionless stare...

"Char!" Charmander yelped as he was pulled away from Red, the professor frowning as he took the fire type in his arms. The Pokemon looked up at him, a low whimper filling the air– Professor Oak let out a sigh.

"Why don't you guys run along?" The professor said, running a hand down Charmander's back. "Get ready for tomorrow. And please let me know if your mother is okay with letting you leave a little bit early, Aoi."

"I'm sure she will be, Professor!" Aoi chirped, before swooping down in front of Bulbasaur. She pressed a kiss to his head, stroking the bulb on his back. "Bye Haru! I'll see you tomorrow– and then we can start our journey!"

"Bulba," The grass type rumbled, rubbing his head against her.

Forrest crossed his arms, while his Squirtle trotted up to his side. "I going leaving tomorrow now, Gramps, no matter if Aoi can or not. I'm sick of Pallet, and I'm not staying one day longer than I have to."

"I already said you could go," The professor said. "Please make sure you tell Daisy though, I have a few things to get done at the lab so I won't be home until late."

Forrest rolled his eyes. "You say that like it's news. Come on, Shelly."

"Squirt!" The Squirtle called, waving to Charmander– who didn't offer a reply. She frowned, before running to catch up with her trainer.

"Don't worry Forrest!" Aoi said, skipping after him. "Mom won't say no, we'll be able to go together tomorrow!"

"Just what I wanted."

Professor Oak sighed as the two headed off. "What am I supposed to do with the two of them..." His looked down at Charmander, before shifting his gaze to Red. "I hope that you'll be okay going with them tomorrow, but I think it's best if you don't stay in Pallet Town. While I was in Viridian City I got some messages from the League, and..." He paused, glancing to make sure Aoi and Forrest were out of ear shot. "Well, technically the League wants to keep this all 'classified' for now, and I get their reasoning but something this big shouldn't be kept from the public..."

He trailed on, that far off look still in his eyes. Now that the others were gone he didn't even try to keep up a fake smile, simply looking down at Charmander with a heavy gaze. His rambling didn't mean a thing to Red, though his quieter voice was much more tolerable than Aoi's excited babbling. He had no intentions of going anywhere with either of the teens– one not standing him and him not standing the other one.

"–But over a hundred people were found dead," Professor Oak continued, voice cracking slightly. These words recaptured Red's focus, scarlet eyes locking on the professor. He wasn't looking at anyone in particular, staring off at the ranch, and his Pidgeot ran her beak through his hair. "Not far from here either, multiple buildings just found in complete ruins from probably an explosion, they have no idea where they came from, but..."

His voice was soft, words almost rushed, talking more to simply get it out than it was an explanation. Red instantly knew what he was speaking of, the base he had spent so many years in probably now completely destroyed because of Mewtwo. As powerful of a being it was Red was surprised to learn that he had leveled all of the base– not a simple task, even for the power the clone wielded. But at the same time he felt the bitterness the creature carried in its heart– a burning hatred that was difficult for him to comprehend.

No. He shouldn't be surprised at what Mewtwo had done.

"...And the league believes that Team Rocket is somehow tied into what happened," Professor Oak finished, and he looked at Red. "And all this... it's simply too close to Pallet for comfort. That's why I'm sending the two of them off tomorrow, so they can get started on their journey and get away from here in case anything else happens," He hesitated. "If this was a Rocket attack they could still possibly be in the area, and seeing how I found you not far from here that seems to support that idea. I wished I had a better understanding of what we're dealing with, but I don't think it's a good idea to keep you near here, which is why I think you should go to Pewter. Both for your wrist and for your safety."

Red considered this, a slight frown tugging on his face. He knew the attack on the base wasn't an explosion, and it wasn't an attack by Team Rocket– but rather an attack _against_ them. But according to the professor's words he wasn't as far from the base as he had thought– and being found was something that he most certainly didn't want. He looked up at the professor, nodding.

If Pallet Town was no longer safe, then he'd leave.

"I'm just not sure of where you should go from there," Professor Oak said. "I don't want to get you involved with the League– the Elite Four simply doesn't know when to stop meddling, and I'm not sure how they'll react to anything connected with Team Rocket. I can't come with you, as they want me to go meet a gym leader to investigate the ruins, but I don't want to leave you on your own either..."

Red blinked, wondering what the professor thought he could gain by helping him. He didn't know of Red's powers, so it couldn't have anything to do with that, but if he was still trying to help him then he clearly wanted _something._

The professor looked at the Charmander in his arms, then at Red.

"...Or maybe, I don't have to send you alone," He said slowly, and he hesitated. "Charmander seems more than willing, and it's not safe to go without a Pokemon, so maybe..." He trailed off, then laughed. "I suppose this is a bit sudden– but how would you feel about joining Aoi and Forrest in helping me with my research?"

Red stared at the professor.

"Just for looks though– you don't have to do anything if you don't want to," The professor said, and then he gestured to Charmander. "But that would give me an excuse to give you a Pokemon and a Pokedex– meaning we would have the means and reason to stay in contact. Yes, this could actually work..."

"Char?"

"Well Charmander, how would you feel about going with Red tomorrow?" The professor asked, and instantly the lizard's face lit up. He smiled a toothy grin, a surge of excitement rushing through the Pokemon.

"Charmander char!" Charmander cried, looking towards Red,. "Char!"

"What do you think, Red?" He asked.

He stared at Professor Oak for a moment, slightly startled at the sudden offer. The idea of 'research' instantly put him on guard, but the prospect of a Pokemon was appealing. He had never owned a Pokemon before, though he had battled many times, and having one would be an extra means of protection that he currently did not have. He had no interest in keeping in contact with the professor though, but he was sure that would be easy to avoid once he got out of Pallet Town. And if he was leaving tomorrow anyways, it might as well be with a Pokemon he could use.

Red nodded, and Charmander beamed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Guess who's back.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Red was beginning to wonder if this was all a mistake.

He stared down at the backpack he had been given– an old one that had been pulled from the back of a closet, with only a change of clothes and basic food supplies to help him get by– but still it had just been handed to him without question. The professor had told him that he would be able to get more appropriate traveling supplies in the next town over, promising to cover the expenses with his own money. And while anyone else probably would have been grateful, Red was only suspicious.

He failed to see how the professor could gain anything from this, meaning that he would be wanting something in return, which was only setting Red on edge. He didn't want to be tied down to anyone through any means, he had just claimed his freedom, and to lose it again would be nothing but pitiful. But at the same time what he was being offered was too good to just walk away from. He knew first hand what it was like to be in the wilderness with nothing, and he was not eager to experience that again. And then a Pokemon... that alone could turn so many odds in his favor, so how could he refuse?

He had worked with Pokemon often– nearly every experiment and test he had been apart of was somehow tied back to the creatures. He could not only sense their emotions, but bend them to his will, and it was an ability his father never ceased with attempting to master. Whether it be Red guiding a variety of Pokemon through a battle, or directly trying to tap into the power that he could manipulate, every day was spent trying to step forward. Trying to find another means to use or enhance the strange ability.

The ultimate prize had always been to control Mewtwo.

But against Project M2... Red had been helpless. He could sense what the clone had been feeling with ease– the raw hatred and painful bitterness as they were seared into his mind, and it was nearly impossible to block out. But when it came to trying to manipulate those feelings it was like trying to move a wall. Unyielding, unbendable, and most definitely unmovable.

But even with his helplessness against the clone, Red had been far from weak, having a level of control that far exceeded a common trainer. And for this reason he had never been given a Pokemon of his own, as that was a level of power his father would never allow him to have. His interactions with Pokemon were planned, executed in controlled environments, and never in a situation that could give him an advantage.

While he could turn just about any wild Pokemon to his favor, having a Pokemon bound to his side was something he wasn't willing to pass up.

He looked out at the Pokemon now– the three of them scurrying about the lab. Excitement was rolling off of them in waves, the eagerness having been about them ever since the professor had brought them here. They seemed unable to hold still, Charmander and the Squirtle having begun a game of tag, while Bulbasaur restlessly paced the table he stood on. They took no heed of the professor as they darted about, who looked exhausted. He was hurrying about the lab, pulling out various objects and papers as he hurried, trying to do his best not to trip over the clutter or the Pokemon.

"Would you please settle down?" Professor Oak asked in an exasperated voice as he nearly stepped on Charmander's tail. "I promise they'll be here soon, and then you can run around to your heart's content."

Charmander and Shelly paused from their game of chase, looking up at the older man.

"They've been just as excited about this as the kids," the professor said, a slight smile on his face as he carefully stepped around the two Pokemon. "Though it was a spur of the moment idea, I think this was a good choice, you joining them. Charmander would have been heartbroken being left behind."

He didn't reply, simply turning his focus to the Pokemon. The plan was for him to accompany Forrest and Aoi from Pallet to a place called Pewter, which was several towns over. With the Pokemon there to keep wild ones back it was supposed to be a smooth journey, even with distance to cover.

Red had no plans on staying with the others though, the moment they were out of this town he would be taking his own path. He had supplies from the professor, and his broken wrist didn't ache quite as much in the brace. With Charmander he would have a way to fight any potential threats he could come across– this was his real chance to set out on his own. He had no idea where he would go, but away from humans sounded like his best shot, anywhere out of the grasp of Team Rocket.

"Char!" Charmander bounded over towards him, winding between his legs before looking up at him with a toothy grin. He leaned down, scooping up the lizard– who began trembling. Despite this the only emotion he could sense from the Pokemon was excitement as he cradled it in his arm.

His underbelly was cream in color, almost yellow in hue. His tail was resting on his stomach, the flames glowing brightly. Charmander seemed to have no problem with being in direct contact with his fire, letting out a small chirping noise. If he was hoping for a response from his future trainer he got none, the teen's expression remaining the same. Instead he pressed a finger against the Pokemon's forehead, his crimson eyes seeming to brighten before he closed them.

Charmander went still, instantly relaxing at once. Blue eyes seemed to grow hazy, gaze unfocused and his pupils narrowed. He just sat there in Red's arms, the only movements being the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Bulbasaur's eyes widened in confusion, staring from the table he stood on. Meanwhile Shelly had gone still, the Squirtle at the professor's side, watching the two nervously.

Red jumped as the door to the lab was thrown open, his grasp on Charmander loosening as they were thrown back into reality. Charmander blinked a few times, claws digging into Red's shirt to keep himself from falling. No longer supported by the human's arm he scurried up onto his shoulder, pressing close to his neck as he looked about in confusion. Squirtle called up to him with worried cries, while the fire type merely tilted his head to the side.

"I hope I'm not late, Professor!" Aoi cried as she burst into the lab, panting. Like Red she was dressed for travel, a stuffed backpack slung over her shoulder. Unlike him though, all of her apparel seemed to be brand new. Her hair was no longer a tangled mess as it had been yesterday, now actually having been combed back.

Her shrill voice still made Red take a step back, however.

"You're actually here before Forrest," Professor Oak replied, smiling. "I take it your mother was okay with you leaving early?"

Aoi grinned. "You betcha!" Her blue eyes slid away from the professor though, landing on the Bulbasaur sitting quietly. "Haru!" She cried, throwing herself at the table. "We're starting our journey today– can you believe it?"

"Bulba," Haru rumbled as he was scooped up into her arms, passive even as she brought his face close to hers. She pressed a kiss to the Bulbasaur's forehead, before spinning about with an excited squeal.

"What about you, Red? Do you have a name for Charmander?" She asked, turning to face him, still holding Haru tightly in her arms.

He frowned slightly, regarding them warily. Charmander pressed closer to him, warm scales rubbing against his cheek. He shuddered, before shaking his head. A name wasn't something he had considered, nor was it his main concern at the moment.

"Well, that's okay, there's plenty to choose from, there's Moeru, or Kasai, or–" whatever names she had in mind she didn't get to finish listing off with the arrival of Forrest. He entered the lab much more calmly than Aoi had, yet there was no denying the gleam of excitement in his green eyes.

Shelly happily ran towards him as he entered, the water type jumping up into his arms. He swung the Pokemon up onto his shoulder, her tail curling around his arm. "I hope you have everything ready, Gramps, because I'm ready to get out of here."

"I made sure to have everything set up last night," the older man replied, looking over his grandson. A smile was tugging at his lips, yet his gaze seemed almost dimmed. "First things first would be your Pokeballs, since all of your Pokemon seem raring to go."

All three Pokemon let out an enthusiastic cry, Charmander even raising a clawed hand up in excitement. Professor Oak picked up three Pokeballs that had been resting on a tray, two in one hand, with the third in his other. They were the classic red and white spheres Red had often seen, though had never been allowed to hold.

Forrest snatched one from the professor's hand without hesitation, only sparing it one glance before clutching it to his chest. There was a gleam in his eyes as he hooked it onto his belt. Professor Oak offered the last two to Red and Aoi, who seemed to be much closer to him than Red had remembered.

The Pokeballs looked identical save for a sticker that rested above the release button. One was a green leaf, while the other was an orange flame. He assumed that Forrest's had one as well, probably shaped like a blue droplet of water going off of the Pokemon they had been given. Aoi was quick to claim the one with the leaf, which left the final Pokeball to Red. It's metallic surface was cool to the touch as he picked it up, running a thumb across it.

A Pokeball. He officially had a Pokemon.

"These Pokeballs have been each linked to a trainer ID, which is installed into the Pokedexes I have created," Professor Oak said. "It's a bit of a newer system, but your Pokedex should be accepted at any Pokemart or Pokemon Center. There's still a few bugs in the system, but all of you should be fine out in the field."

Forrest's eyes narrowed. "How on earth did you get Red into the system, we don't even know him, let alone–"

Oak cleared his throat, and Forrest went quiet– not without giving his grandfather a glare. "As both of you already know, the Pokedex project is going to be critical for my research. At the moment it can recognize species and pull up basic information about them with just a simple scan. In the future I hope to expand that to fully show a Pokemon's moveset, evolutions, abilities, gender–" he paused, realizing he was rambling, and the professor cleared his throat once more. "As for you kids, you can insert information straight into the Pokedex yourself– moves the Pokemon has learned, if they display their ability, and basic behaviors. Even information on wild Pokemon you find will be helpful to my research."

"We get it, Gramps. We give you fieldnotes, and we get to go on a journey," he crossed his arms. "Can we have the Pokedexes now?"

"One day it won't be just for gathering data– it will be an encyclopedia for Pokemon and a tool for Pokemon trainers," Professor Oak replied. "Imagine being able to see what moves a wild Pokemon knows before you catch it– and knowing which ones it can learn in the future! Its coding could be used alongside other technologies– GPS to show you where Pokemon can be caught, phone service to stay in contact... right now you can use yours as your IDs and for payment–"

"You're rambling again, Professor," Aoi giggled, rocking on the heels of her feet. "The sooner we have them the sooner we can use them."

He smiled, reaching into his lab coat and pulling out three red devices. They were slightly bulky in shape, a cover folded across a dark screen. The professor opened and checked each one before handing it to them, like the Pokeballs they probably each had a specific one assigned to them. Red immediately put his into his pocket, having no interest in it, while the others took a moment to study the device.

"_Bulbasaur,"_ a robotic voice called from Aoi's Pokedex. "_The seed Pokemon– grass and poison type. This Pokemon often rests in sunlight, photosynthesizing with its bulb to create energy."_

"Awesome," Aoi whispered.

"Yeah, yeah, it's cool and all– but we have Pokemon now," Forrest turned to face both of them, grinning. "So which one of you losers is going to face me and Shelly in a battle?"

"I just barely got Haru– I don't even know his moves yet!" Aoi protested.

Charmander had perked up on Red's shoulder, sweeping his tail across his back as he rose onto his hind legs. He watched Shelly for a moment, the Squirtle on her trainer's shoulder, before looking at Red. Blue eyes stared into crimson, but he got no response of any kind. The fire type hesitated for a moment, before leaping to the ground and standing in front of Red.

"Charmander char!" He declared, going down onto all fours as he took up a battle stance.

"Perfect– we got the type advantage!" Forrest said, shoving Aoi out of the way. "You're up Shelly, let's pulverize them!"

"S-squirt?" She said, looking slightly hesitant at this declaration– but hopped down in front of her trainer.

"You shouldn't have a battle in the lab–!" Aoi began, but Professor Oak held up a hand.

"Barney will knock down everything eventually anyways, no harm in letting them," he leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms.

"Water Gun!" Forrest barked, and Shelly sprang into action. The Squritle leapt up into the air, releasing a small burst of water from her mouth. Charmander let out a yelp, jumping out of the way– looking back at Red for instructions.

Forrest had already ordered the Squirtle into a Tackle, who withdrew into her shell as she crashed into Charmander. He let out a small cry as he was sent flying back, landing on his back. The tile floor was slick, the fire type struggling to gain traction as he rose back to his feet. Red regarded the sudden battle in front of him. Shelly swung her tail side to side, waiting for Charmander to make his move.

Red's eyes locked onto Charmander, almost instinctively mentally reaching for the Pokemon. This was far from the first time he had found himself placed within a Pokemon battle, and he knew what was expected from him. Scarlet eyes brightened as he forged a connection with the Charmander, who went still as Red's mind connected with his.

It felt too easy, the way he instantly had a hold over the fire type. Its pupils narrowed, gaze unfocused as his emotions washed over Red. The excitement of a journey, cheerfulness of being around Shelly, the nervousness of the battle, but a determination to win. The last emotion was the only one Red saw worth keeping, hand twitching as he forced the Pokemon to suppress the others. Charmander tensed, gaze hardening as his own resolve washed over him with an increased vigor.

A low growl rattled Charmander's throat, the eager and playful gleam in his eyes now gone. Shelly blinked in confusion, the Squirtle pulling out of her battle stance as she let out a concerned call. Charmander's expression didn't shift, the growl building up into a snarl as Red urged him to attack. A blur of orange bolted across the lab, the fire type leaping up as he brought a Scratch down right across Shelly's face.

Shelly staggered back with a whimper, eyes widening as Charmander swung his other arm at her. Without waiting for orders she withdrew into her shell. The Scratch bounced off of her shell, but this didn't seem to deter Charmander in the slightest, claws slashing at her shell in an attempt to reach her. Charmander's eyes were still narrowed and unfocused– nothing but a drive to win filling his mind.

"Charmander–" Professor Oak said, taking a step forward, clearly startled at this sudden shift.

"Aqua Jet!" Forrest ordered, and with a slight glow a veil of water surrounded the Squirtle's shell. Charmander hissed, yet was still unrelenting with with Scratches. Shelly's back legs slipped out of the shell, pressing off from the ground to get the momentum to launch the Aqua Jet.

She crashed into his chest, knocking Charmander onto his back once more. You could still clearly see the slashes across her cheek from the Scratch, the water type panting. A Water Gun was launched as he rose to his feet, an attempt to keep him back as Charmander charged forward with yet another Scratch.

Red knew that the reckless attacks wouldn't work as she withdrew into her shell once more, the normal type move bouncing off without even leaving a mark. He felt himself heistating, and he allowed that same hesitance to spill over into Charmander. The fire type paused from his attacking, taking a few steps back, claws still gleaming. As soon as Shelly peered out from her shell Red withdrew his hestence– and Charmander snapped right back into attacking. With bared fangs he sank his teeth right into her head. The Squirtle let out a cry of pain, attempting to hide away once more, but with his jaws clamped around her she could no longer retreat. Claws raised Charmander slashed down, mercilessly striking the Squirtle below him.

"Stop!" Professor Oak cried. "Charmander, stop!"

The cry snapped Red's focus out of the battle, the single word putting him on alert. Though the order had been meant for Charmander, Red took it as his own, instantly breaking off the connection he had formed with the fire type. At once Charmander stopped, jaw loosening and claws going still. He blinked several times, before his eyes widened, as if he had just realized what he was doing.

He released Shelly instantly, stumbling back from her with apologetic whimpers. A small droplet of blood rolled down the Squirtle's head, where one of his teeth had managed to break through her scales. Shelly stared at the fire type, a webbed hand pressed against her head, a small whimper filling the air.

Professor Oak hurried forward, grabbing Charmander, as if afraid he would spring back into battle. The lizard shivered in his grasp, and Red could feel the confusion filling him. It wasn't an uncommon reaction for a Pokemon that had been under his control– with them being able to remember their actions, but not why they had done so.

Silence filled the lab, and Red lowered his head, not sure why the battle had been stopped. They had clearly wanted him to guide Charmander into battle, and that was what he had done. Yet a winner hadn't been declared for the match, though he knew that it would have gone to Charmander had the battle continued.

"What's gotten into you?" The professor muttered softly, a hand running down the lizard's back. "Is Shelly okay?"

"She's not bleeding anymore," Forrest reported, kneeling down next to the Squirtle. He let out a slight chuckle. "Wouldn't think that Charmander would have that in him."

Professor Oak frowned, holding out Charmander to get a better look at him. He tilted his head, tail curling as everyone watched him. He was frowning, not quite sure what to do. "I know you're eager to get a trainer, but that's not how you handle a battle, Charmander."

Red frowned, a battle was a fight, wasn't it? Charmander had fought quite well, and would have been the winner. Charmander twisted in the professor's grasp, looking back at him. The lizard didn't know what had happened, but clearly he had sensed Red's presence within his mind. Blue eyes stared into crimson, but whatever answer he was seeking Red didn't show.

"Mander..."

"Your job is to protect Red," the professor continued. "I only want you to attack in such a manner if he or yourself is in actual danger. Friendly battles are supposed to be just that– a friendly match."

That was a concept that made Red pause– a friendly match? What purpose that would serve, he did not know. What would there be to gain from such a battle? Pokemon were beings of power, and a situation where there was nothing to gain from that power was nothing but confusing. He regarded the small lizard, who seemed to be taking the blame for Red's influence. It was helpful information to know though, that not everyone would be expecting a savage rage in every match they might face.

Of course, the goal was to avoid humans, and hopefully avoid another battle such as this.

He reached out to Charmander once more, though he did not exert himself in the same manner as he had during the battle. He just barely tapped Charmander's mind, enough to clearly feel the lizard's emotions wash over him– confusion, shame– much different than the hyper feelings he had encountered before. He pushed those away, breath hitching slightly as he simply asked the lizard to 'come'.

Emotions were simple, whether it be amplifying their own feelings or impressing his own onto the Pokemon. Commands, however, were much different. There was a force behind them, an energy that wasn't already within the Pokemon itself, something he had to physically force for it to become apart of them. Even when he wasn't forcing the request, just simply asking, he could still feel the energy behind it.

Charmander quivered in the professor's grasp, before twisting out from his hands and dropping to the ground. He scurried on all fours towards him, pressing up against his legs as he reached him. Red relaxed in the slightest, even after what happened there seemed to be no sign of resistance from the fire type– which meant things would be easier for him.

"Perhaps it would be best if you kept him in a Pokeball for now," the professor said after a moment.

Red glanced down at the Pokeball in his hand, then at the lizard. His thumb traced the sphere, before pressing down on the release button. The sphere snapped open, a burst of red light snaking out from it. The energy engulfed Charmander, converting the Pokemon into the same energy before drawing him back into the Pokeball. The sphere became warm within his hands, silently humming with life. He slipped it into his pocket, metal clinging against the Pokedex already resting inside.

* * *

Route 1 wasn't that much different from Pallet Town– sprawling grassy fields visible as far as the eye can see. The sun climbed overhead, Pidgeys singing in the trees, Rattata scurrying in the underbrush, grass types swaying in the wind. The Pokemon were quick to scatter as the newest visitors made their way across it– three young trainers making their first steps out into the world.

"Pokemon League, here I come!" Forrest declared loudly as they left Pallet Town behind them.

"I thought this was about helping the professor with his research," Aoi said, running ahead of their small group. Her Bulbasaur was in her arms, clearly enjoying being out in nature.

"I can do the gym challenge too!" Forrest snapped, and Aoi let out a laugh.

"I know," she said, playfully sticking her tongue out at her neighbor, who tensed at this action– which only made Aoi laugh harder. Red found it a strange sound– as it wasn't annoying like how he found her voice. There was something different about her laugh, a lightness to it that he didn't often hear with such a sound. It sparked his curiosity, which he shoved aside just as quickly. "We're going to need more than one Pokemon to take them on though– the last one to catch a Pokemon gets to pay for dinner! Come on Haru– Tackle that Oddish!"

The Bulbasaur leapt down from her arms, hurdling himself forward at the Oddish she had pointed out. The wild grass type panicked at the approach, releasing a cloud of purple spores around it. Haru paused as he ran into the Poison Powder, unaffected by the toxic cloud, but it allowed the Oddish to flee into some bushes before it could be attacked.

Forrest rolled his eyes. "That was stupid– your Bulbasaur is already a grass and poison type, that would have been a waste of a catch. If you want a Pokemon you should make sure it's going to benefit your team," he carefully placed Shelly on the ground. "For example I'm not going to send Shelly out against a grass type when we still have a long ways to go, as we've just barely started training and she's weak to them. While a grass type would be useful it doesn't as heavily benefit Shelly's typing as another would that we can catch out here– a flying type."

"...A Pidgey?" Aoi asked, glancing skyward at the Pokemon flying about.

"Exactly," Forrest said. "It will leave my team open to electric types, but that can be remedied with a ground type as my next addition. Flying will counter Shelly's weakness to grass though, and flying types can avoid ground type moves– and guess what the nearest gym is? Ground," he smirked. "Sure Pidgeys aren't the strongest, but you've seen how big Gramps Pidgeot is, with training they are so worth the dedication."

Aoi nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'm going to catch a flying type too!"

"You should be going after a rock type or something," Forrest muttered. "That would counter a lot of your Bulbasaur's weakness, but of course you wouldn't know that," his eyes locked on a small group of Pidgeys forging in the grass. "Shelly, scatter them now!"

The Squirtle bolted forward, throwing herself right into the center of the flock, sending most of them scattering at the action. However two stayed behind, feathers puffed out in frustration, glaring at the intruder unhappily. Forrest grinned, sizing up both of the birds, before pointing to the largest one, small red feathers starting to grow in its crest.

"We want that one," Forrest said. "Water Gun now!"

And so the battle began, the Squirtle throwing herself at the desired Pidgey, who disrupted the Water Gun with a Gust. It was clear that Forrest had chosen well, this Pidgey having the will to fight unlike many others, and it seemed fairly close to evolving as well. Despite this Squirtle simply had the advantage with size, slowly wearing down the flying type while shrugging off much of its damage with her shell. Soon the Pidgey was huffing in the center of the field, clearly exhausted– and Forrest raised an arm to throw a Pokeball.

As soon as the sphere was flying through the air a purple blur sped through the grass, bolting in front of the Pidgey right in time for the Pokeball to hit it on the side. Eyes widened as the new Pokemon was sucked into the sphere, which shook several times. The tired Pidgey stared at the ball, glanced at Forrest– then spread its wings as it took to the air.

"Wait– no–!" Forrest bolted forward right as the Pokeball went still, clicking as it caught the Pokemon. "Come back– gah!"

Shelly picked up the sphere, bringing it back to Forrest, holding it out uncertainly. He snatched it from her, opening it up to see what he had accidentally caught. His frustrated expression only grew as he saw the small Rattata staring up at them in confusion, several berries stuffed in its mouth that it had been running with– perhaps from other Pokemon it had stolen it from. He looked up at his new trainer uncertainly, who let out a loud groan.

Aoi let out a burst of laughter. "Oh my Mew!" She cried, earning a glare from Forrest. "It just– appeared out of nowhere– a Rattata–!"

"Oh, shut up," Forrest grumbled. "I can catch another Pidgey."

"The first catch of the great trainer– the Rattata!"

"I said shut up!" Forrest snarled, but even his Squirtle was trying to hold back a few snickers. He turned towards the Rattata, sneering. "Your name is now... Ron. Because you were the wrong catch. Whatever though, you can just be more info for Gramps research or something."

He slammed the Pokeball onto his belt, muttering under his breath as he pressed forward. Ron inched back uncertainly, and Shelly gave her new teammate a friendly pat on the head in reply, smiling reassuringly.

"It just jumped in front of the Pokeball!" Aoi was still laughing. "Just like 'take me!' Heheh, did you see that Red, wasn't that hilarious... Red?"

Aoi looked about, but the boy with the Charmander was nowhere in sight.

* * *

For the first time in so long, Red felt like he could actually breathe.

He huddled in the shade of a lone tree, leaning against the rough bark of the trunk, but yet it felt like the softest chair. He wasn't sure how much distance was between him and the others, but the fact was that there was distance, which made him happy. He was alone, and a weight that had been bearing down on him was now gone.

It had been easy to slip away from Aoi and Forrest, they had paid little attention to him as they had exited the small town, their Pokemon in tow. Aoi had been chattering to both of them at first, but soon her focus had shifted to Forrest as they had continued on. He just had to linger back, and then the moment he was sure neither of them were paying him any heed he altered his course to head off the trail.

The terrain was simple to navigate, as the alleged 'route 1' was mostly grassy plains. He had headed straight for the bushes and sparse trees, using them to hide away while still carefully continuing in the direction they had been told the next town was in. Viridian City, if he recalled correctly. The name felt familiar to him, something he knew he had heard before in his time at the labs, but beyond that it meant nothing to him

He watched a group of Pidgeys take flight in the distance, and with a slight frown Red reached into his pocket, pulling out the metal Pokeball he had received. The red sphere was warm in his hands, the Charmander still tucked away since its battle from earlier. He passed the Pokeball from hand to hand for a moment, before his thumb slid over the release button.

Charmander appeared in a burst of red light, the lizard blinking several times as he found himself in the grass. He pushed himself up onto his hind legs, glancing about at the empty field around them, before turning towards Red. He tilted his head to the side in confusion, and instantly Red could feel the Pokemon's uncertainty. He focused on it, and felt the turmoil churning through the fire type's mind. He didn't understand what had happened in the battle, and he didn't know why they were alone now. There was a strong desire to see one of them... Squirtle– Charmander wanted to see Squirtle.

He opened his eyes as he mentally withdrew from the Pokemon's mind, who was now letting out low whines, pawing at the ground in front of Red. The human gave him no reaction, watching him silently. With humans he only exercised caution, but now with none around him there was a curious look crossing his face. Again he reached out to the Charmander, this time taking hold of the emotions he sensed. He didn't seize control like he had in the battle, flooding its mind with forgien feelings, but rather gently suggested the idea of 'calm'. He felt shivers run up his back as he was once again met with no resistance– the Charmander taking to his promptings immediately. He relaxed in the grass, flopping down onto his belly as he stretched out.

This was perfect, exactly what he needed, a Pokemon that didn't fight against him, that he didn't have to fight for control. This would be the perfect thing to have by his side as he went forward from here, something easy to work with as he tried to figure out where to go from here. A Pokemon meant power, and it was now something in his hands. A power to protect himself, a way to defend himself that he didn't have before.

A means to finally be safe.

He reached out with a single finger, gently running it across the Pokemon's head, and immediately it let out a low rumble of contentment. His scales were warm to the touch, like the lizard had been laying in the sun, and he shifted closer towards Red to encourage the patting. He liked the way the scales felt against his finger tip, and he ran his whole hand down the Pokemon's back. Charmander instantly fell deeper into relaxation, and this time it wasn't from Red's prompting. He frowned slightly as he felt his own tension leaving him, his hand still tracing the small bumps of his scales.

A name, the others' had a name for the Pokemon beyond just what they were, something he had never seen within Team Rocket. The idea was not forgien to him though, for he very clearly remembered Hestia, his mother's Houndoom who had often watched him as he and his brother had played. His brow furrowed as his thoughts turned towards Mother and home, something that so rarely crossed his mind, yet it never failed to bring comfort.

Names were important, that was something Mother had often said. She had carefully considered each of their names, just as her parents had chosen hers. She had spoken of her family often, even if Red had never met them, and her stories gave Red plenty of names to consider. Names that brought a sense of warmth and home, and not fear and danger as the ones within Team Rocket would bring.

He withdrew his hand as he decided, which caused Charmander to flick open his eyes. He raised his head slightly, looking up at his new trainer expectantly, as if he knew something were about to happen. Perhaps he did, as Red had made no effort to close the connection between them. Charmander let out a toothy yawn as he pushed himself onto his back legs, tail curling about him.

"...Aiden."

It was startling just how unfamiliar the sounds were to Red, his voice quiet, yet much deeper than he was expecting. The sounds felt forgien on his tongue. Charmander pulled back slightly in surprise as he spoke, blue eyes widening momentarily. He tilted his head as he listened though, Red staring at him intently as the Charmander considered the name, and after a moment he could feel as the realization washed over the Pokemon. Immediately his expression brighted, happiness flooding his expression, and the fire on his tail flared up.

"Char!" The newly named Aiden exclaimed in excitement. "Mander! Char-char!"

Aiden bounded around the tree, calling out once more, as if testing his name for himself. His cries sent nearby Pidgeys flying into the sky, but the Charmander didn't care. He jumped in front of Red once more, every inch of him trembling, claws twitching. The lizard didn't need words to describe his happiness– a name. He had a _name._

He bolted out into the grass as Red pushed himself to his feet, wanting to press onwards once more. Aiden would race ahead, before looping back to dance about Red's feet. He wasn't able to get Red to say anything else to him, but that didn't dampen his spirits, and Red watched him as he bounded forward once more.

A small smile appeared on Red's face, and the duo continued on.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Red's calculations were a bit off– but in his defense he had never really traveled long distances before.

The plan had been to go off trail, but still travel in the same direction as the others from Pallet Town. Get to Viridian City, the only landmark he knew of at this point, and decide where to go from there. His plan, however, hadn't gone exactly how he had hoped.

He was sure this was no longer route 1, the dirt roads had given away to brick paths, and the sprawling grasslands had become lush greenery. Trees dotted the landscape, and off in the distance a tall forest could be seen standing. As Red meandered along the brickwork and bushes he was quick to notice an order to it all– a more even spacing between the trees, bushes trimmed with no underbrush in sight, grass spread out with no dirt or rocky areas– not as clear cut as the gardens that had surrounded the base on the few occasions he had been outside, but compared to the route he had been on before this was all clearly maintained by humans.

But no buildings in sight to indicate any kind of settlement.

"Char?" The Charmander had his back claws resting on Red's backpack, while his head and forearms rested on his shoulder. His tail draped down, flames flickering, yet not burning the cloth it brushed up against.

Red glanced at Aiden, who seemed drained from their trip out here, but his spark of happiness was unrelenting. He let out a rumble in his throat as his trainer looked at him, small chirping-like noises calling out until Red's fingers brushed against his snout. He melted at the touch, more rumbles coming from him.

Despite having a fire type curling up against him, a harsh chill suddenly filled the air. It bristled about him, making the hair on his arms rise. The shining sun did nothing to disperse the sensation, neither did the flame on Charmander's tail, which was only inches away from him. It caused Red to tense, eyes flickering about, and on his shoulder Aiden mimicked him.

Red felt a set of foreign emotions brush against his mind, much closer than what he sensed from the wild Pokemon off in the distance. It was a strong presence, a confidence that the Pidgeys and Rattata didn't carry. He whipped his head about, yet saw nothing. His eyes fixated on a space up near the tree line, eyes narrowing, though all he saw was empty air.

He sensed a caution flare up in it, and the presence dove to the side. Red's eyes drifted after it, trying to discern what was there. There was nothing but air, yet he could sense the churning emotions, feel the chill against his skin. Again the presence darted away, this time coming closer to him, and he instantly seized control of Aiden. The Charmander's curious gaze faded away, a growl rattling its throat.

"You can see her?"

Red jumped as he heard the voice, gaze being ripped from the sky and back towards the path– where a woman stood as if she had been there the whole time. She was an older lady in a simple purple dress, who was leaning against a gnarly wooden cane for support. Her hair was blonde, just beginning to gray, and her sharp little eyes were locked right on him.

He instinctively took a step back, growls still coming from Aiden. She regarded the Charmander for a moment, before her gaze returned to Red. She tapped her cane against the ground twice, and the presence dove down from the air and darted to the side. It was still invisible, but Red could sense it hovering right above her, burning with a strong sense of loyalty.

The woman chuckled as his gaze followed the presence. "So you can. How interesting, it isn't often I come across someone that can feel more than just her chill."

The presence suddenly zipped forward, hovering right in front of Red. The temperature about him dropped in response, causing him to shiver slightly. The air in front of him seemed to waver slightly, the only sign that something was there other than the wave of curiosity the being was now radiating. He reached out with a hand, but it passed through it with ease, whatever was there wasn't merely invisible– but it caused the hair on his arms to rise.

The older woman's eyes narrowed. "...Or perhaps you can't see her. You ain't no medium, that's for sure. Yet you know she's there..." she chuckled. "Why don't you show yourself, darling, no need to scare the child."

The first thing Red saw were a pair of eyes of the same color, and in his surprise he lost control over Charmander. Aiden blinked a few times, looking about, and yelped when it saw the floating pair of eyes right in front of them. The fire type sat up a bit, the two of them watching as the Pokemon slowly phased into view. It was huge, a gaseous body lined with a ragged fur, limbs curled in close to its body. The Pokemon gave them a huge grin, before flying back over towards his apparent trainer.

"You know," the woman remarked. "You're not the first person I've met that's sensed Gengar like that. A few weeks ago a man came down from the Silver Mountains, foolishly went along Victory Road and we had to drive the wilds off from him," she grinned. "The Pokemon there are kept riled up on purpose."

He blinked at her.

"Oh, how foolish of me," the woman took a step forward. "I'm Agatha, ghost type trainer of the Elite Four. And you, child, and heading towards a path I know you aren't ready to take. As rare as a Charmander is, I can tell that lizard hasn't seen much in the ways of battles."

Red's eyes brightened to a scarlet as the woman came closer, and Charmander's growls returned with a snarl. He flashed his sharp teeth at the approaching woman, eyes narrowed, a couple of cinders flying from his mouth. Agatha merely gave a sneer that Forrest would have been jealous of, and continued her approach.

"This ain't the way for travelers," Agatha said. "The Pokemon past here are territorial, kept riled up as a challenge. Occasionally Lance will let his dragons fly over to keep them on edge, or lure a Tyranitar down from the mountains to stir up some trouble. Unless you're prepared for the League you shouldn't be heading down this way. Now, are you just stupid, or stupid and lost?"

Charmander continued letting out his snarls, and Red averted his gaze.

"Stupid and lost then, I see," Agatha let out a snort. "Viridian City's the opposite way of here, and if you want to make use of the Pokemon you got you'd take on the gym there," she waved at him to turn about. "Pokemon ain't meant to be a little decoration to lug around, kid."

She seemed to be waiting for a reply, but Red just passively stood there. He slowly released his hold on Charmander, shifting his focus towards the Gengar. Despite the playful emotions coming from it, he could sense the raw power it radiated. He gritted his teeth as he tried to take control, but the ghost type merely blinked as it felt the new presence in her mind– and shrugged it off.

"You know..." Agatha said slowly. "Charmanders are rare, but I know that Lance bred his not too long ago. He kept most of the hatchlings, but he did trade one in exchange for a Squirtle egg– an egg that came from that old duff Oak."

Red's eyes shifted towards hers at the sound of a familiar name, and she smirked.

"I thought so, you must be from down in Pallet then," she leaned in closer, studying him closely. "...You ain't one of his grandchildren, are ya?"

He shook his head.

"Good, good..." she muttered, relaxing slightly. "I supposed you've run into them though, hmm?" He started to nod, but she didn't seem interested in waiting for an answer. "If you got that Charmander from Oak, that also means you got one of them Pokemon dexes things too, right?"

Aiden brightened up, diving over Red's shoulder, using his claws to hold onto his shirt as he crawled down, grabbing the device from his pocket. He waved the Pokedex happily, and before Red could protest Agatha snatched it from him, looking over it like it was gum she had found on the bottom of her shoe. She snorted, before tossing it back to him.

"Oak had a brilliant mind, once, but he wasted it," Agatha said as Red fumbled to grab hold of Pokedex. "Pokemon are for battling, and Oak was one that had a skill for it. He could have gone far– he _did_ go for, but he abandoned it in pursuit of trivial knowledge. That's all that Pokemon-index thing is, child, a trivia game. Pokemon are power, power that we have hold of. A power that we can bond with."

She looked at her Gengar fondly, who rubbed up against her. Red blinked slowly, before watching her in interest. Her words were the first from outside the base that felt familiar in any way, because he already knew that. Pokemon were power– the stronger the Pokemon, the more power you held. This was something he had grown up learning, yet there was still something different about the way Agatha spoke compared to what he knew.

"If you want my advice, child," Agatha said. "It would be to stop pursuing whatever you were told to with that index, and go after the gyms. You have a rare Pokemon, a Pokemon whose mother belonged to an Elite Four. Glory runs in its blood, and you can make a real powerhouse from it– but as a trainer you have to be the one to bring it out."

Red looked at Aiden, who was currently resting in his arms, rubbing his head against his chest contently.

"With proper training you could become powerful," Agatha said. "You could return to this path with the ability to face Victory Road. There's so few proper trainers nowadays, those who go beyond with their Pokemon. You may have not said a word, kid, but I can see it in your eyes. You want power, don't you?"

Red nodded, not sure of what to make of the woman, but the energy she radiated was ghost-like herself. Not necessarily frightening, but so forgien and strange that it both drew him in and brought caution. Her words rang true to him, power was something he wanted. Power meant control, something he was just learning to hold for himself.

She grinned. "I like you, kid. You know how to listen, something the rest of your generation could learn. If power is something you truly seek, then the gyms are what you want. I'd say head down to Viridian and take on the one there, but I already know that the gym leader ain't there."

She lifted her cane, pointing to the forest off to the north. "Viridian Forest. It's about a day's journey for a young folk like you. It'll take you straight to Pewter, where there's another gym. You might want to stop in Viridian anyways, stock up on supplies."

Red took in this information, creating a mental map. He had heard plenty about Pewter City already, which was where Professor Oak wanted him to go, but this was the first time hearing about where it was. Viridian City seemed to be due east from here, and he hoped that it wouldn't be too far. He took one look at Agatha, gave her a nod, then turned to leave. She crossed her arms as she watched him go, heading down the brick path.

"Hrmp," she muttered. "Leave it to Oak to try to ruin such potential," she scratched her chin. "So, what are you thinking, Gengar? He's no medium, and definitely not a psychic, but he definitely sensed you back there."

Gengar nodded in agreement.

She crinkled her nose. "But what would be the chances of seeing two empaths so close together be?"

* * *

"I am getting too old for this..." Samuel said wearily, looking down at the vast landscape below. Barney let out a low rumble, the Dragonite glancing back at the professor as they flew. He was only going a fraction of the speeds he could manage– with a simple Extreme Speed they could be soaring across the landscape, but as Professor Oak got on in years caution became key when traveling. "If Agatha hadn't reared her ugly head..."

Who knew someone could hold a grudge for as long as her. She had volunteered him for this investigation, saying that perhaps his expertise in the field of science would be of some use, as if he could identify remains of technology from the explosion. He was a _Pokemon_ scientist, he studied living breathing beings! Anyone from Silph Co. would have been a better choice than him, and if they wanted someone inside the League then Gym Leader Katsura would have had more experience.

But instead he was flying out to work when he was supposed to be helping Forrest set out on his journey. Spending time with Daisy. Accompanying Red to Pewter. Anything else in his personal life that could have been of more importance.

"Oh, by Zapdos' storms," Professor Oak muttered when he saw the ruins up ahead, stomach dropping. Even Barney's flight slowed down slightly, looking out at the remains of the buildings in shock.

He knew it couldn't have been a small place, not with over a hundred people dead, but he had still been expecting something low key and isolated– not remains of multiple buildings that looked as if they could have been from Saffron City. Even with the structures being collapsed and blasted in multiple directions it had clearly been a state-of-the-art facility, and he swallowed as Barney went into a low dive.

What had happened here?

The Dragonite took him towards the largest group of people– five people gathered around talking near the ruins of the largest building, their Pokemon nearby. One pointed up at him as he approached, causing the others to look up as he came in for a landing. The leader of the group waved his hand, getting the others to back off as Barney touched the ground, sending out a small breeze from his landing.

"Professor Samuel Oak, I presume?" The man asked, and Samuel studied him. He was a fairly tall man, with a sharp and angular face. He had short black hair, and eyes of the same color. A Persian stood by his side, calm and poised, watching Barney with narrowed eyes. The man had a green badge pinned to his shirt– the Earth Badge.

"That is correct," Samuel said, sliding off of Barney, and he held out his hand.

"I am Giovanni Sakaki," he said, grasping his hand and giving it a single shake. "Viridian City Gym Leader, I am glad you were able to make it."

"The weather was calm, so it was an easy flight."

Giovanni looked up at Barney appreciatively. "A beautiful beast. I wasn't aware of anyone outside of Lance having a Dragonite here in Kanto, even the collectors seem to favor Dratini over its evolutions."

"His evolution was only a few years back," Samuel said, patting the dragon on the stomach. "He was a Dragonair for most of my life, they're not the easiest to evolve."

"Bah!" Barney said with a coo, nuzzling the professor happily. He had to step back so he didn't fall over, continuing to stroke the Pokemon. Giovanni watched, his gaze unreadable, while his Persian crinkled its nose.

"You were quite fortunate to come across such a rare Pokemon," Giovanni said as Barney pulled back from his trainer, and the dragon's eyes turned towards him. "How were you even able to get one? A breeder, I presume?"

"Barney, no," Professor Oak said in a low tone as the Dragonite took a step towards Giovanni. "A wave will do– no ambushing people with hugs."

"Roo..." Barney said in disappointment, wings sagging, but gave Giovanni a wave with a clawed hand. Meanwhile Persian tensed up at the word 'ambush', standing in front of Giovanni with a snarl, but a hand on his head got him to stand down.

"Sorry about that, he's quite affectionate," Samuel said. "As for how I got him, I actually found him in the wild, where the Safari Zone stands today. I was never able to find any sign of a larger population there though. My theory was that he came from the ocean, perhaps washed in or separated from his parents."

"Fascinating," Giovanni said simply, watching Barney for a moment longer, before turning away. "Anyways, we should get down to business. I have several of my workers and those working for the league already searching the place. I would proceed with caution, no remains have been removed yet and none of them are pretty."

"...I can handle it," Samuel said after a moment, though he wasn't sure if he could. His stomach still tied in knots at the state he had found Red in– half starved and covered in scars– and he had still been alive. "Lance says he suspects Team Rocket is behind this?"

"Merely a theory," Giovanni replied. "Likely due to the general threat Rocket poses, but nothing concrete. My men have been out here for days at this point, and we have found nothing conclusive."

"What have you found?"

"Our first task was finding survivors, next was taking a body count," Giovanni didn't turn around as he started walking forward, forcing Samuel and Barney to follow after him to keep the conversation flowing. "We found two survivors, but both were in a comatose state, and are being treated in the Cerulean City Hospital. We found evidence that there were other survivors, but they already left by the time we arrived on scene. We have flying types searching the surrounding wilds for them, and we have put word out to all Pokemon Centers to alert us if any potential survivors come in."

Samuel gave a low whistle. "You've definitely been on top of things. I only heard about all of this two days ago... I can't imagine this has been easy to handle, considering the casualties..."

"We do what we must," Giovanni replied, looking out at the ruins with a forlorn look, before turning back to the professor. "...Pallet Town doesn't have a Pokemon Center, correct? Yet it is one of the closest settlements to here. Has anyone come through your town that could potentially be a survivor, Professor?"

_Red._ Samuel instantly thought– he had been half dead when he had found him, with plenty of injuries, both new and old. His broken wrist, and not to mention the faint scars he had caught glimpses of... yet Samuel couldn't bring himself to say a word as he opened his mouth. Because mentioning Red would mean mentioning Team Rocket– and connecting the child to the group.

He thought back on the tracking anklet he had been wearing, and how withdrawn the child had been, he had clearly been through a lot. Throwing him into the spotlight on an investigation this large... he didn't know how Red would react to that, if he would even be able to handle that. Samuel knew he shouldn't be doing this as he shook his head, the League needed as much information as they could get, but he couldn't do that to the child, and that was even if Red was connected to this at all. Giovanni said there had been evidence of other survivors– and when they were found they could provide the League with their information.

"I'm afraid not," Samuel said simply, lying with ease. "Pallet has always been a quiet place– the most exciting thing in years was my grandson and a neighbor setting off on their journey. Unfortunately I had to rush it thanks to being called out here."

"A start of a journey, a special moment indeed," Giovanni sounded less than intrigued, but considering the environment he had been working in he didn't blame him. "I cannot imagine dealing with grandchildren, my children cause trouble enough."

"There was no one else to take them, so someone had to step up," Samuel replied. It was very hard at times raising his two grandchildren at his age, Daisy stepping up at a much younger age than he would have liked– but between work and home someone needed to pick up where he was slacking. Only two years older than her brother– but Daisy was his mother figure.

"Hmm," Giovanni's reply was short and simple. "I've had my men collecting what remains of the technology that was used here. There isn't much to recover, I'm afraid, outside of mere scraps."

"Still, I am here to see them," Samuel replied.

Giovanni paused for a moment, before pulling out a white Premier ball, recalling his Perisan in a burst of red light. He then pulled a Dusk ball from his pocket, releasing a Honchkrow of impressive size from within. The professor gave a low whistle as he looked at the beautiful and intimidating creature– gleaming black feathers covered his form, and a Quick Claw sat around its neck.

"Follow me," Giovanni said as the Honchkrow spread its wings, swooping at its trainer. It gripped him by the shoulders, glowing a faint blue with a Fly as it used the energy of the attack to pull him and the larger human easily up into the air. As soon as it was in the sky it summoned a Tailwind, gliding off at startling speeds.

Professor Oak was much slower in mounting his Pokemon– but with a simple Dragon Dance and riding the remains of the Tailwind it wasn't too hard to catch up. Samuel eyed the Honchkrow some more, before deciding it had been bred specifically as a mount judging by its form and just the natural speed it had.

His gaze soon turned towards the ruins below them though, studying them this time without a fearful awe, but rather in a means to try to understand what happened. It wasn't too hard to locate the origins of the blast– just look for the central point where the debris blasted out, but soon the professor found himself frowning.

"There were multiple blasts," Samuel said as they landed, and Giovanni looked over at him. "The way the rubble fell, there was clearly multiple center points for a blast, the debris basically forms a ring from where the blast would have rang out. I spotted at least three just flying over."

Giovanni nodded in agreement. "There's also several other locations where it looks like there was a single direction of a blast, like here for example," he gestured to a collapsed wall that looked as if it had been scorched. "An aerial view shows that the force came from this direction, yet take a look behind us it shows no sign of an attack radiating out the other way."

The professor's eyes narrowed, and he dismounted Barney once more. He made his way over to the collapsed walls, Giovanni right behind him. The Dragonite glanced at his trainer– who wasn't focusing on him– and grinned. He faintly glowed silver with Extreme Speed, pouncing on Honchkrow before he could react. The bird let out a squawk as he found himself wrapped in a powerful embrace, feathers ruffled as he tried to escape the grip. Giovanni frowned back at the Pokemon, while Barney hugged his latest victim tighter, rocking back and forth.

Professor Oak was kneeling down next to the fractured walls, running a hand over the strange burns that covered it. He muttered to himself, walking through the ruins, stooping to study the marks every few steps. He dug through his bag, pulling out a camera, snapping a few pictures as he went, a deep frown covering his face. Hesitating, he pulled back, worry on his face, and he pulled out two Pokeballs.

A Nidorino and a Primeape were released from their Pokeballs, both looking extremely uncomfortable. The Primeape let out an unhappy shriek, while Nero pawed at his head unhappily. Giovanni stared at them, then looked up at the professor for some explanation– who was currently recording his two Pokemon.

"Barney, let go of Honchkrow," Samuel called out. "And Giovanni, please ask your Honchkrow to come over here. Thrash, you are not to attack it, okay?"

Thrash the Primeape let out a huff at this, while Giovanni's gazed narrowed, but gave a sharp whistle. Honchkrow responded immediately, flaring open its wings as Barney released him. He flew straight over to Giovanni's side, who waved towards Professor Oak's Pokemon, and he landed next to the Nidorino.

The effect wasn't immediate, but slowly Nero and Thrash began to relax in Honchkrow's presence. It was like an itch they had was finally being scratched, the Nidorino even pressing closer to the bird. Honchkrow let out a huff, eyeing the professor's other two Pokemon warily, but didn't move from where he had been told to stand. Samuel had been recording the whole interaction, and even looked slightly pale as he slipped the camera around his neck.

"Do you plan on explaining what you're doing, Professor?"

"Has there been any Pokemon that haven't done well here at the ruins?" Samuel asked, looking at Giovanni. Black eyes narrowed, clear frustration in his gaze at the lack of an answer. "Acting strange? Just different than other Pokemon?"

"...I suppose," he finally concluded after a moment. "My Nidoqueen has been on edge, and Simon's Golbat had to be recalled to its Pokeball because it kept flying off."

"Both are poison types," Samuel said. "Along with Nero. Thrash is a fighting type– and what do those have in common with poison types?"

His lips twisted. "Training wise, not much. Poisons tend to be defensive, fightings tend to be offensive. They're both weak to psychic types, but I fail to see–"

"Exactly," Professor Oak said, grabbing two Pokeballs and returning Nero and Thrash in a burst of red light. "And both were doing fine when your Honkrow was around– a dark type– which naturally is able to diffuse psychic energy. Now, take a look at these burn marks, Giovanni, and I can tell you they weren't caused by fire."

He guided the gym leader across the ruins of the wall, taking photos as he talked.

"The scorns marks web out too evenly, almost in a uniform pattern, rather than a darker burn from where the blast was more intense and fading out if you reach the edges. Potentially well guided fire type attack could yield similar results– but that would have to be over a smaller area with a very powerful Pokemon. What we are looking at, Giovanni, was a psychic blast of great intensity."

He raised an eyebrow. "A psychic blast leveling these buildings? I don't even think Saffron's strongest Alakazam could take on one building in such a manner, let alone multiple."

"There is psychic energy lingering in the air," Samuel insisted. "You saw for yourself, the Pokemon weak to it reacted to it. But for it to linger for so long... we are dealing with something very dangerous. We should probably call out psychics from Saffron City to monitor it for themselves, see what they say. Also make sure we tell Lance not to eliminate Team Rocket from suspicions, and I'm going to need to make some calls."

"Calls to who, exactly, Professor? This data the League wants to remain private for now," Giovanni said coolly.

"Silph Co., for one," Samuel said, voice becoming urgent. "Judging from what we know this was a research facility of some kind, correct? With high level technology? I'm ninety percent sure Team Rocket was behind this attack, and if it's technology they're after then Silph Co. needs to be warned. They could be targeted next."

"What exact technology do you think would interest Team Rocket at Silph Co. anyways?"

"I don't know much, and what I do know I can't say much about," Samuel replied. "I just know their latest project is a big one, and one that would draw interest."

Giovanni considered this. "I will personally contact Silph Co. See what security they have, and how we can work with them."

"Perfect," the professor replied, because he had other people he needed to call. The League's knowledge of Team Rocket was limited, but he knew a few people that could have some valuable information– especially when it came to Rocket technology. "I need to see what remains of electronics you've gathered from here, see what we can make of them."

"You seem to be a very knowledgeable man, Professor," Giovanni remarked. "Have you ever considered taking your skills to a larger organization? My company could really benefit from someone like you."

"...That is a very generous offer, and thank you," Samuel said. "But I'm afraid I like to work alone. My research has been taken advantage of before, and I am not comfortable with putting it in such a situation again."

"Of course," Giovanni pulled a business card from his pocket. "But if you ever change your mind, please feel free to call me. I'll have Simon drop by and show you what we have found so far. I'm going to go and make some calls, starting with Lance, and then Silph Co."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you, Professor," Giovanni said, and with a snap of his fingers his Honchkrow opened its wings and swooped towards him.

Samuel didn't look up as Giovanni flew off, his gaze focused on the ruins about him. His mouth was dry, carefully looking over everything as Barney drew up next to him. The Dragonite looked at him in concern, nudging his trainer, and Samuel sighed.

"I need to talk to Leo," he muttered, pulling away from his Pokemon, snapping a photo of what appeared to be a shattered computer screen. "But I don't think I could pay Bill to come back to Kanto... but he's the only person I know that might have any hint of what's going on."

Barney whimpered, and Samuel sighed.

"We'll just have to pray that this isn't what I think it might be."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"A feisty one, isn't he?" The nurse said with a chuckle, moving her fingers away as the open beak snapped towards them. "Typical of the Spearow species though. This one seems to be pretty tolerant of humans, so I'm guessing you caught him here in the city?"

"Yep!" Aoi chirped happily, looking down at her newest Pokemon. "His name is Shou, and he's the first Pokemon I've ever caught."

"And probably the poorest choice for a first capture," Forrest muttered, foot tapping impatiently as he waited for his own Pokemon.

"He's a big sweetheart under all these grumpy feathers," Aoi insisted, reaching out to stroke Shou, but his beak opened up in warning, puffing his feathers up.

"Best you don't approach from overhead with wild Pokemon," the nurse said, guiding Aoi's hand towards the Spearow's belly instead. "They're less likely to feel like they're being attacked this way, and it gives them the choice if they want contact with you or not."

She brushed Aoi's hand against Shou's belly, and with a huff the flying type stepped up onto her hand. Aoi let out an excited squeak at this, even as she winced as the sharp talons dug into her skin. He clicked his beak together unhappily, before hopping his way up her shoulder. He paused there for a moment, before opening up his wings and landing on her head. This earned a laugh from the young trainer as he settled on his new perch, and the Spearow glared out at those in the Pokemon Center.

"Flying types often prefer the highest point they can get," the nurse said with a smile. "Though you probably want to train them to stay on your hand or shoulder. We have some pamphlets near the door about various kinds of Pokemon, you'll probably want to take a look at the one about bird Pokemon and their care–"

"Got it!" Aoi cried, bolting from the counter and over towards the stand the nurse had gestured to. Shou let out a displeased squawk, talons digging into dark brown hair to keep his balance.

"Um, your Bulbasaur and Pokeballs...?" The nurse said uncertainly, glancing at the grass type Aoi had needed to pick up as well. Haru shrugged, nestling down next to the two red spheres.

"She'll be back as soon as she gets bored," Forrest said, stepping forward. "What about my Pokemon?"

The nurse scooped up his three Pokeballs, releasing the Pokemon inside with several bright bursts of red light. His green eyes scanned them, before giving a small satisfied nod of the state they were in. None of them had been seriously hurt when he had brought them into the Center, but they looked much better than before, fresh and ready for battle. His eyes immediately fell onto his most recent capture, a large Pidgey he had seen as a prize to catch. And this one hadn't included any accidental captures like with the Rattata. The flying type was watching him closely, and while not full on ready to attack the first thing that moved like Shou had been, it lacked the flighty flinches its species was known for.

"Your Pidgey should be interesting for you to raise," the nurse said. "They're typically easy to train, but the one you caught is fairly close to evolution– see the red feathers starting to come in on the crest and tailfeathers? This might lead to some authority issues with it between you and your other Pokemon, as Pidgeottos tend to take the lead of their flock once they evolve. Firm training will be all you need though."

Forrest smirked. "In other words he's about to become even stronger? Sounds perfect to me. Welcome to the team... Peter."

The newly named Peter tilted his head, looking interested.

"As for your Squirtle, she's doing just fine," the nurse continued, stroking the top of Shelly's head, causing her to close her eyes. "The scratches on her head shouldn't scar, and should probably fade within a week. Your Rattata was in pretty much pristine condition, though a bit thin like you see in most wild Pokemon."

"Cool," Forrest said, holding out his hands for his Pokeballs. He didn't care too much about the Rattata– just as long as it was healthy there was nothing to worry about. He had no intentions of using Ron in battle, but yet as it was his first capture he wasn't too keen on releasing him. "Can we get two rooms for the night?"

"Of course," the nurse said, passing him his three Pokeballs. He returned Ron and Peter to the spheres, while Shelly hopped onto his shoulder, tail wrapping around his upper arm. Haru wandered near the edge, looking off at his trainer, who was bounding back towards them.

"Did you know a Spearow can nearly match speeds with a Pidgeotto?" Aoi said with a grin, pamphlet in hand. "And despite their small size they have the same attack power as one? That means Shou won't even hafta evolve to match your Pidgey once he does!"

He rolled his eyes. "Except for Pidgeottos have much more endurance, meaning they can actually last in a fight. And once they're fully evolved Pidgeot has much more balanced traits, making it the better option in battle."

"Endurance doesn't matter if you can knock everything out before they hit you," Aoi said with a grin.

"Whatever. Just grab your Pokeballs and the key for your room," Forrest growled, reaching for one of two keys the nurse was offering them. "It's late enough as it is, and we should get an early start tomorrow."

Despite this Aoi took her sweet time with gathering up her things, cooing goodnight to Shou before recalling him to a Pokeball, and planting a kiss on Haru's forehead as she scooped him up. By the time she actually got around to accepting the room key the bell rang by the door as someone else entered the Pokemon Center, and Forrest had to drag her away so the counter would be clear.

"Hello there Abigail," a man said, a slight purr in his voice as he leaned up against the counter. "I hope it's not too late for a little checkup on a Pokemon?"

The nurse flushed, sitting up a little straighter. "Proton! It's always wonderful to see you– how's everything at the gym?"

"Pretty good," he held up an Ultra ball. "Except for the gym's Dugtrio pissed off the wrong Sandslash, and now she's got a spike lodged in her left head. Didn't dare take it out myself."

The nurse carefully took the black ball from Proton. "Don't worry, I'll take a look at her right away. What about the other gym Pokemon? They're all in good shape? Maybe I could look over a few of them tomorrow."

Proton smirked. "They're doing good, but I can stop by if you miss me that much."

Forrest's eyes narrowed, looking at the tealed-hair man. "I thought the gym was closed?"

An annoyed gaze flashed towards him. "It is, with the boss out of town. I'm just keeping things running smoothly."

"Aren't you qualified to hold gym battles?" Forrest asked, crossing his arms. "Isn't that the whole point of a second-in-command with gyms? To take over matches when the gym leader can't?"

He snorted. "Giovanni likes to handle his own battles. I wouldn't bother waiting around for him either, head up to Pewter and waste another gym leader's time."

"More like you don't want to see your precious gym leader get swept," Forrest replied, a smirk tugging at his lips when he saw a flash of anger in Proton's eyes.

"If you think type advantage will win you a match," he said slowly, looking at Shelly in distaste. "Then trust me, kid, you ain't ready for the gym circuit."

"Well–"

"That's enough, boys," the nurse said, stepping in before the banter could escalate, laying a hand on Proton's arm. "Why don't you and your friend retire for the night? If you plan on going through Viridian Forest you'll want all the daylight you can get, afterall."

"Come on, Aoi," Forrest said, flashing them a grin. "The gym trainer here needs to hide behind his girlfriend because his gym leader isn't here to handle battles for him."

"Why you little–"

"What about Red?" Aoi asked, causing Forrest to stop and Proton to fall quiet. "Shouldn't we go looking for him? We haven't seen him at all since this morning!"

"He's the one that decided to wander off," Forrest said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not delaying my journey looking for him, I'm sure he'll be fine on his own."

"But he's hurt!"

"He lasted this long," Forrest replied, heading towards the hallway that housed the rooms for trainers, but Aoi didn't follow him. She just stood there in the lobby looking worried, her Bulbsaur's expression mirroring hers.

"Not to interrupt, but may I ask who you're talking about?" Proton asked, eyes locking on Aoi.

"Our friend Red!" Aoi said, turning to face him. "Have you seen him, by chance? He's about our age, with black hair, and he doesn't talk much–"

She was cut off by Forrest, who's fingers closed around her wrist, dragging her away from the man. She let out a yelp of surprise, stumbling a few steps to regain her balance. She stared at Forrest in surprise as she was dragged towards the rooms, not even finding time to protest. He gritted his teeth as Proton said something, but he could care less. In fact, he normally wouldn't care about what Aoi did, but something in the man's gaze didn't settle right with him. He was showing too much interest in what she was saying for a stranger, and he hadn't liked it one bit.

"What was that for?"

"I... don't trust him," he replied, stopping outside of her room. She glowered at him, and he sighed. "Look, we'll look for Red tomorrow, okay? When we're rested and it's light out. Besides, we can message Red on the Pokedex if all else fails."

"But–"

"He has Charmander with him, so it's not like he's going to freeze."

"Forrest–"

"Aoi, please?" Forrest asked, and it looked as if it physically pained him to say that. "It's dark, we don't know this town, that guy's weird– and Red is just as much of a stranger to us as everyone else is. We'll look tomorrow, okay?"

"...Fine," Aoi said after a moment, her arms tightening around Haru. "But I'm messaging Red tonight and telling him where we are."

"Okay," Forrest said, fingers tracing the key to his room, and he stepped towards his door. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Goodnight!" She chirped, beaming at him as if she hadn't even been upset a moment ago.

She slipped into her room, and Forrest waited until he heard her lock click before opening his door. He glanced down the hall, where Proton was chatting it up with the nurse. He seemed invested in their conversation, but that didn't stop his gaze from flickering down towards where Forrest was standing. He gave the man the best sneer he could muster, before heading into the room they had rented out. It was small, but Shelly hopped off of his shoulder and onto the bed with no complaint, looking up at him curiously.

He sighed, sitting on the bed next to her. He most certainly didn't want to play babysitter with Aoi their whole journey, but he was more than willing to keep an eye on things as needed.

* * *

Aiden didn't understand why they didn't stop in town.

The weird ghost-lady had said too, and Red clearly had been listening to her words– yet he had skirted the path to Viridian City, and had headed straight for the towering forest that had laid beyond it. They had made fairly good progress through the woods, with the trees growing so close together that the trail was choked in shadows as sunset. But the path was worn, and with the flame on his tail they weren't left in darkness.

A majority of the Pokemon avoided them for the most part– the bug types watching his tail flame with wide eyes. As the day wore on they seemed to be settling in for the night, Pidgeys roosting in branches and bug types worming their way into tree hallows. Save for the occasional Oddish crossing their path or a Hoothoot keeping watch in a tree, the forest was still for the night as they pressed on.

"Mander..." Aiden sighed, flopping down on the ground when Red finally came to a stop. The dirt path was cool, and felt nice on his sore muscles.

Red carefully set his backpack on the ground, leaning his head back against it as he settled down next to him on the forest floor. Aiden sat up slightly as he watched his trainer close his eyes– was he planning on sleeping like that? That wasn't right, Aiden knew that humans usually had complicated nests, even when traveling. He scurried over towards him, shaking his shoulder, and a pair of crimson eyes slid open.

"Char," Aiden said. Humans weren't fire types– he'd get cold! He knew that, didn't he? He should... but Red seemed to not know everything about humans despite being one. "Mander..."

Fortunately, he was a fire type, and he climbed onto his trainer's chest. He curled up, careful to keep his claws from digging into his shirt as he settled down, wrapping his tail around himself. Aiden let out a yawn, before looking at Red with a rumble coming from his throat. His human blinked at him for a moment, before closing his eyes once more.

Content, the Charmander did the same.

* * *

Aiden awoke to the sound of scurrying.

The Charmander lifted his head up, smacking his lips as a yawn formed. Blue eyes stared out into the forest around them, but he could only see as far as his tail flame lit up, everything draped in the darkness of the night.

He pushed himself to his feet, hoping off of Red, holding his tail high as he tried to get a better look at their surroundings. Shadows danced in the firelight, silence meeting his gaze. Charmander tilted his head, before looking back at his human. Red was curled up, one hand draped across his stomach, while his injured one was laying carefully at his side. Goosebumps were visible on his arms, but the chill in the air didn't seem to bother him, but still Aiden moved closer to him once more.

Then he heard it again, the sound of something rustling in the grass, and he turned once more, claws curling slightly. A small flash of light caught his attention to his left, and he went down on all fours as he went into a defensive stance, teeth bared. He saw the sparks once more, and the blur of something moving right towards him.

A streak of white slammed into him, causing him to stumble to keep his balance. A small growl rattled his throat as he lifted his gaze to look at his attacker, studying the golden creature in front of him.

Short yellow fur covered her entire slender body, a cold coppery gaze watching him. Her jagged tail was held high, three black stripes running down her back. Bright red cheeks sparked with electricity, her whole body glowing white as she charged at him with a Quick Attack once more.

This time Aiden was able to brace himself, his own claws sheening as he lashed out with a Scratch. His size gave him the advantage, able to knock her away even as her attack slammed into him. He opened his mouth, the back of it glowing as he released an Ember at her before she could recover.

She was still glowing with the energy of the Quick Attack though, pushing off to avoid the burst of flames by mere inches. The Pikachu glowered at him, tail lashing, and more sparks rolled off of her cheeks.

"Chu!" She cried, whole body lighting up as she fired a Thunder Shock right at him.

"Ch-char," Aiden gritted his teeth, pain pulsing through his body as he was hit by the electrical attack, only for it to be followed up by another Quick Attack. The Charmander let out a slight groan, but forced himself back to his feet. The Pikachu was zipping away, turning to face him once more, sparking.

"Pika."

"Mander," he growled, a crackling blue energy forming around his claws. It surged up, the misty light dancing about him. He could feel the power pulsing through his muscles, the Dragon Dance fueling him as he darted forward once more, claws gleaming with a Scratch.

He pounced right on top of the Pikachu, his claws digging into her side. She writhed under him, but he refused to let her escape. She had attacked him without warning– and he knew that he couldn't let her get near his sleeping human. He fired a close-ranged Ember at the back of her neck, and she retaliated with a Thunder Shock.

The electricity pulsed through him, loosening his grip enough to allow her to slink through. She spun around to face him, more electricity crackling about her. But instead of it being released into a Thunder Shock it began to build up, running down her fur and across her paws. Aiden stood his ground, even as the Pikachu became surrounded in a veil of lightning.

"Pika... pika...!" She seemed to be struggling to contain the surge of electricity, lighting up the surrounding area as sparks flew off of her. Ears back she came charging right at him, a static filling the air as she ran.

A sphere soared over Aiden's head, hitting the Pikachu square in the back, opening up with a burst of red light. The mouse let out a startled cry as she was turned into a wave of energy, being drawn inside the Pokeball. It snapped shut, falling to the ground, shaking violently on the forest floor. The Charmander turned, and found that his human was now wide awake, backpack pulled into his lap, face pale.

"_Chu!"_ The Pokeball burst open, two halves of the sphere flying in opposite directions. Pikachu was panting, fur raised as she glowered at them, and she rushed forward with a Quick Attack.

Aiden raced forward to meet her, swinging his long tail around to knock her away. Another Pokeball was hurled in her direction as she prepared another Thunder Shock, though this one missed both of them, flying over their heads and rolling off into the underbrush. The Charmander grappled with the mouse, trying to wrestle her to the ground, but her slender form allowed her to easily slip through his grasp. He tensed up as he was hit with another Thunder Shock, a mewl of pain slipping out of his jaws, and she whipped her tail around so it slammed right into his nose.

The Pikachu reared up onto her hind legs, ears up and alert– only for a third Pokeball to be chucked at her. She let out a snarl of frustration as it hit the top of her head, snapping open as it drew her in once more. Aiden took the opportunity to recompose himself, an Ember forming in his throat as he took up a battle stance in front of the shaking Pokeball, ready to attack the moment it burst open once more.

The Pokeball went still, the button on the front flashing, before it settled with a _click._

Silence filled the forest, and Aiden perked up slightly, realizing just what had happened. His human had caught a Pokemon– they had got their first teammate! He turned to face Red happily, and though his muscles were sore from the electric attacks he still quivered in excitement, bounding towards him.

"Char!" The Charmander sang, pouncing into his lap. He looked up at Red, only to pause as he realized his human looked off. His skin was pale– much paler than usual, and you could see the whites of his eyes with how wide they were. There was a slight tremble in his limbs, and he sagged back against a tree as he took in short breaths.

Fear was coming off of the human, but for once Aiden didn't sense it himself. He frowned, trying to find the connection to Red in his heart, but it was as if it had been cut off. Aiden whimpered in confusion, nudging him in hopes of getting a response, but instead he found himself being drawn into a tight embrace. Nothing about it was comforting, only a desperation to it, but he let Red hold him.

After a time his grip became uncomfortable, so he slipped out of it. He sat on Red's knee, wondering how to make him feel better. He turned and looked at the Pokeball on the path, and hurried towards it, carefully picking it up in his claws. He proudly brought it back towards Red, showing off their first capture, but instead Red had drawn his knees up to his head.

"Char..." Aiden said, placing the Pokeball on top of his knees. Red grabbed it– then chucked it into the forest as hard as he could.

Enthralled by the sudden movement the Charmander hurried after it, grabbing it in his mouth before bounding back over towards Red. He pulled away from him as he brought the Pokeball close, and he dropped it into his lab. His human picked it up– before throwing it off into the woods once more.

Aiden had to search the grass and underbrush this time to find it, cradling it close to his body as he brought it back to Red. He seemed to have calmed down somewhat, breathing normal once more, but his eyes were staring at the Pokeball uncertainly. Aiden hesitated, didn't Red understand you didn't throw Pokeballs once you caught something in them? Was this something else he didn't know?

Then suddenly Red's dark eyes brightened to a scarlet, and Aiden felt his connection with the human return with a surge. He stumbled back as an array of emotions pulsed through him.

_Fear. Danger. Cornered. Attacked._

His limbs ached as if they were being hit by another Thunder Shock. His jaw locked up, and his neck felt as if something were clamping down on it. Aiden let out a whimper, but the sensation faded as quickly as it came, just a moment of the feeling– yet it had been so clear. He glanced back at Red, whose bright eyes were fading back to crimson as he blinked away forming tears.

Aiden looked at the Pokeball in his claws, before carefully moving over towards the backpack and slipping it inside. Red seemed to relax in the slightest, and didn't protest as the Charmander crawled into his lap. He rubbed his head against his chest, letting out small comforting rumbles as the night carried on.

* * *

**It feels so nice to be writing some of these characters again. Oh how I've missed you Shou and sassy Pikachu.**

**Also, I'm going to be uploading this story on my ao3 account as well, under the same username and title.**


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